by Mia McKimmy
Miles glanced at Cy. “Brother, they’ll have to go through all of us before touching either of you.”
“The only way that’s happening is for you to stand between me and Vind,” Riana said.
Cy’s eyes softened. “Of course, baby.” He brushed his hand across her cheek. “Vind will never touch you again.”
As sweet as his comment was, it caused a stabbing pain around Riana’s heart. Vind had already destroyed her happiness with this wonderful man.
The small group left the clinic and headed down the hall toward the back stairs. With guns drawn, the Protectors surrounded Riana, Cy and Iggy.
Oz shoved Vind along by the back of his neck. “Vind, this is your last chance to deactivate that thing around Riana’s neck. If it blows, you’ll die with the rest of us.”
A momentary look of doubt crossed Vind’s face before he spoke. “I’ll take my chances.”
“You seriously think you’re getting out of this, don’t you?” Oz said.
One side of Vind’s mouth turned into an exaggerated sneer. “There’s always a possibility.”
When they reached the kitchen, Kam and Miles checked the windows to see what was going on around the back entrance. “We have six around the door and two at each window,” Miles reported. “Once we’re outside, there’s a couple of hundred feet of open ground to cover before reaching the forest.”
Oz called some Protectors on his com-link. “We are leaving through the back. Clear the rear entrance. Once you’ve take them out, clear a path to the woods.”
Seconds later, gunfire erupted outside the door. Vind’s soldiers shouted curses and orders, anger and fear in their voices. As soon as the shooting started, Kam and Miles broke the windows and started taking out targets at the edge of the woods.
A Protector’s voice came over the comm-link. “All clear.”
As the fighting moved farther away, they eased out the rear door. More of Vind’s soldiers came from around front. The Protectors surrounding their group bulldozed them down immediately. Riana held her breath as a cloud of death-dust filled the air.
Two Protectors were lying on the ground wounded. They stopped long enough to get them to their feet. Although neither was doing much walking. Miles and Kam dragged them toward the tree-line.
Riana glanced over at Iggy. He was already shielding her and Cy from the pain of their injuries. She grabbed his hand to get his attention. “Can you block their pain enough for them to walk?” she yelled over the sound of gunfire.
“I can try,” Iggy replied.
Cy tugged on her arm. “You two, keep your heads down. We still have a ways to go before we can transport.”
That was not what Riana wanted to hear. She just wanted this whole nightmare to be over and everyone safe.
They continued moving, and Riana’s stomach did a flip-flop. She was so focused on keeping Cy moving, she forgot about the bomb around her neck. “Cy, are any rows of the stones lit-up on this thing?”
“No.”
“How far have we come?” she asked.
Cy glanced behind them, “About seventy five feet.”
As they covered the last twenty-five feet, Riana’s heart felt like a volcano about to erupt inside her chest. Cy’s grip tightened on her arm. She realized he expected her to jerk away from him and run, which wasn’t a half-bad idea. Sure as she did, they would all take off after her. She wished there were some way for them to stay clear of her until she crossed that final hundred foot mark. But every one of them, except Vind of course, was determined to die right along with her. That thought pushed her way past her panic point. She’d been in a constant state of panic ever since she saw Cy’s lifeless body on the floor of that cell.
Cy turned around again, and then looked at her neck. Chills ran down Riana’s spine as she waited for his reaction. A beautiful smile lit up his swollen face. But she needed to hear the words. “Are we past it?”
“Yes, baby. We’re beyond one hundred feet, and still in one piece.”
“Thank God!” But they were still a long way from safety.
Once they reached the tree line, the forest canopy blocked out what little light came from the moon. Even with their enhanced night vision it was pitch black, which made it difficult to see the enemy.
Oz pointed to a survey stake flush with the ground. “I think this marks the property line. We should be able to transport soon.”
A loud explosion went off directly behind them, followed by a rain of bullets. The explosion threw Miles and Kam, along with the two injured Protectors to the ground. Everyone else tumbled forward into a deep trench.
As Riana was thrown forward, a hot searing pain tore through her back and stomach. She curled into a fetal position, her arms clutched around her abdomen. Was it the fall, or had she been shot? Everything happened so fast. Whatever it was hurt like hell.
Kyra, and four others scrambled up the embankment to reach the ones left behind by the explosion. Vind was face down on the ground with Cy straddling his back, and a gun pressed against his temple. “Move one muscle and I will send your brains into the ground.”
Iggy’s pale face appeared in front of her. “Riana, are you alright?”
She glanced at her hands clutching her stomach. The cream-colored sweater soaked up her blood at a rapid rate. “I’m not sure.”
Iggy jerked his head toward Cy. “Riana’s been shot!”
Cy was off Vind’s back and at her side in a flash. He pulled her head into his lap. “We have to transport her now,” Cy yelled to Oz. “She’s losing a lot of blood.”
Kyra and the others came down the embankment. “Get over here and guard Vind,” Oz yelled to Miles. “I’ve got to transport Riana out of here.”
Riana glanced up at Cy. “I’m not leaving without you and Iggy.”
“I can’t leave,” Iggy said. “Not without avenging my brother.”
Riana realized Iggy didn’t know what she’d done. “Soren’s dead. I killed him.”
“But…I was supposed to do it. For my brother.”
It meant a lot to Iggy and she’d robbed him of his closure. “I’m sorry, but I had to kill Soren. He was trying to kill me.”
“Oh,” Iggy said. “That’s different then. You couldn’t let that monster hurt you. He’s hurt too many. I’m glad you stopped him.”
“So…you’ll come with us?” She asked between gasps of air.
“Yes, I’ll come.”
Cy looked at Miles sitting on his brother’s back. “Vind, can we transport out of this hell-hole from here?”
When Vind remained silent, Miles shoved the gun against his back. “He asked you a question, asshole.”
“How should I know?” Vind said in a sarcastic tone.
“We don’t have time for this,” Oz said. “If we can’t transport we’ll have to go further out. Those who can transport grab the ones who can’t.” As Oz stood, a bullet tore through his shoulder and drove him to the ground.
“Dad,” Riana gasped. She reached for him. Between Cy holding her and the pain, it was a futile attempt.
Oz hissed and held his hand over the wound. “Damnit, another leather jacket ruined.”
“How bad are you hit?” Riana asked.
Oz placed his large hand over hers. “I’ll be fine, honey. It’s only a scratch.”
Cy pulled Oz into a sitting position. “If that bullet is in you, then you can’t transport.”
“Yeah, well, I guess it’s a little more than a scratch,” Oz admitted.
Bullets tore through the trees above their heads. Wood splintered and sent bark raining over them. Cy blanketed Riana with his body.
“We have to leave, now,” Oz ordered. “They’re almost on top of us. If we can’t transport, we’ll have to shoot our way out of this ditch. Kyra you take Iggy. Kam you take Riana and Cy. Miles can transport me and Vind. The rest of you, bring the others.”
The air around them began to vibrate and shimmer. Riana had transported thousands of times in her l
ife. But it had never felt as wonderful as this.
Chapter 42
Moans echoed throughout the courtyard of the compound. Cy glanced at Riana on the ground beside him. “Are you alright?”
“I think so,” Riana groaned through clenched teeth. “Iggy was blocking more pain than I realized. Transport must have interfered with his ability.”
Cy followed her line of vision to Iggy’s pale, lifeless body lying on the ground.
Kyra pulled his head into her lap.
“What’s wrong with him?” Riana asked.
“I don’t know. He’s out cold.” Kyra placed her hand on his neck. “His pulse seems extremely fast.”
Riana shook her head. “I have no idea what’s normal for a being like him. Can you carry him to the infirmary?”
Kyra picked Iggy up as if he weighed nothing, and ran toward the gates.
Riana moaned as Oz scooped her off the ground. Two guards ran from the gates. “Take the injured to the infirmary,” Oz ordered.
One of the guards pulled Cy to his feet. “Take Riana on, I’m right behind you.”
Cy looked at Miles and Kam standing on each side of Vind. “His army knows the location of every compound. The only place we can keep him is the queen’s castle. The miles of dungeons beneath it have never been documented. When you get him there, encase him in the steel pit. I want guards posted there at all times. Make sure they understand he is not to leave that cell for any reason.” Cy curled his lip at Vind. “Until his execution, that is.”
Cy turned to leave but stopped. “Oh, one more thing.” He narrowed his gaze on Vind. “Tell the queen’s guard, Owen, he has permission to sodomize him on a daily basis…more often if he wishes. He really likes pretty boys.”
Kam let out a burst of laughter. “Isn’t Owen the one who’s the size of a house?”
“That would be him,” Cy said, his tone smug.
Vind paled at Cy’s comment. His gaze shifted from Cy to Oz carrying Riana toward the infirmary.
Unforgiving anger shot through Cy. “Don’t you even look her way. For the rest of your miserable life, you will regret the day you ever laid a hand on my life-mate.” Cy’s gaze shifted to Miles. “Get my piece-of-shit brother out of here, before I change my mind about killing him.”
When Cy arrived at the infirmary, Iggy was awake and not happy about the method Doc Regan had used to do it.
“Cy! That guy stuck something up my nose. He’s calling it smelling sauce, but that stuff is as far from sauce as it gets.” Iggy wiped water from his eyes.
“It’s not actually sauce, its smelling salts. It’s used it to wake someone when they faint.”
“That stuff would wake the dead. And I didn’t faint. I was resting my eyes.”
“Iggy, you lost consciousness during transport.”
“Kyra, will you help Iggy? I need to get back there and check on Riana.”
“Sure, I was about to call Lily.”
“Can I talk to her? When can I see her? Can we go get her now?” Iggy could launch questions at you faster than a 747 during take-off.
Cy went through the swinging doors into the operating area at the rear of the infirmary. Riana lay on a cot with an infusion bag of blood to her mouth and another connected to an IV in her arm. Doc Regan stood at her side prepping her abdomen for surgery.
Oz was on the phone, and from the high pitched squeal coming from the connection, he’d just told Analae about Riana. “Calm down and get here fast. Doc Regan may need your help.” Oz hung up and rubbed his ear. “She’s on her way.”
As Cy took Riana’s hand, tears filled her eyes.
“Are you in pain?”
She removed the bag from her lips. “No, Doc Regan gave me something for the physical pain. Every time I close my eyes, I see your battered body hanging from those chains. Do you have more injuries that need checked out?”
Cy held her face in his hands and wiped her tears with his thumbs. “There you go again, thinking about everyone else. As long as you’re all right, I’ll be fine.” He bent and gave her a tender kiss.
Oz pushed a chair over for Cy to sit on. “You’re swaying on your feet.” He grabbed two bags of blood and handed one to Cy. “Sit down and drink this.” He opened the other for himself.
Oz still had a bullet in his shoulder, but Riana’s injuries were the most pressing.
It only took a couple of minutes to finish one bag, and Cy already felt stronger.
Analae flew through the door and to Riana’s side. “Honey, I’m so sorry.” Analae embraced her daughter and they both cried like their hearts had broken in two.
“We need to get this surgery underway,” Doc Regan said.
Riana rubbed tears from her eyes. “There’s something you need to know.” She turned her head to the side, emotion choked back her words.
Cy knew what she was trying to say and spoke up. “Riana’s pregnant.”
Everyone in the room froze, except Doc Regan. “Riana, you should have told me this as soon as you arrived.” He grabbed a pre-filled syringe from a tray and pushed its contents through her IV. “You’ll be out in a moment.”
“I should have told you. I’ve been in denial about the whole thing,” Riana mumbled before she went under.
Cy bent and kissed her. “It’s okay, baby. Everything will be fine when you wake.”
Doc Regan glanced at Cy and Oz. “You two don’t need to be in here for this. Analae can stay and assist. We’ll take good care of Riana. You should go check on that boy Kyra brought in. He seemed a little agitated.”
Cy brushed his hand down Riana’s pale cheek. He never wanted her to leave his sight again. She was so beautiful, and strong. He loved her more than he ever thought it possible to love another soul.
Oz clamped his hand on Cy’s shoulder and led him from the room.
In the main treatment room, Iggy glanced up from a drawer he’d been rummaging through. “How’s Riana?”
Cy propped himself against a cot. Iggy came over, bounced up beside him and began swinging his feet off the side.
“They’re about to operate on her now,” Cy said. “Are you feeling better?”
“Much. Kyra went to get Lily. I’m never doing that transport thing again, so I stayed here. It felt like I was spinning at a hundred miles an hour. I didn’t like it a bit.”
“The first time someone transports is usually the worst. It gets easier after that.”
Iggy tilted his head and looked beneath his curls. “Well actually, I was already a little sick. I’ve never controlled that much pain before.”
“Hopefully, you’ll never be put in that situation again. Iggy, I want you to know how much we appreciate your help.”
Iggy watched his feet scissoring from the cot. “Everyone keeps saying that, but I only did what anyone would have.”
“No, you didn’t. You put yourself in danger to protect another. That kind of bravery is commendable. I’ve seen how much Riana and Lily care about you. I wanted to ask if you’d consider staying here with us and make this your home.”
Iggy’s feet stopped. He looked up at Cy with raised brows. “You want… me to stay?”
“Yes, we do. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but I am going to be king of our race. Riana and I are to be married soon, which will make her the queen. It’s because of your actions that I have her back. Not to mention Lily. She’s precious to us all. I will forever be in your debt. After my coronation, my first act as king will be to make you an honorary member of the Sivadian race—if you’ll have us.”
Iggy’s eyes widened and a smile lit his perfect features. “Do I get a medal…and everything?”
Cy and Oz exchanged smiles. “Yes Iggy, you’ll get a medal for valor.”
Iggy hesitated for a moment. “What’s…valor?”
“It means bravery.”
“Oh,” Iggy’s head bobbed up and down.
Cy had learned a lot about Iggy during their trek through the mountains to Vind’s castle. Th
e boy had no family, no one who cared whether he lived or died. “So what do you think? Would you like to live here with us, allow us to be your family?”
Iggy tilted his head and looked into Cy’s eyes. “No one’s ever wanted me around before. When I left my own realm, I promised myself I’d never stay where I wasn’t wanted. Now, after all this time, you really want me to be part of your family?” Emotion welled in Iggy’s eyes. He threw his arms around Cy’s shoulders and held tight, as if to assure himself this was real. “I would like nothing better. Thank you, Cy.”
The door opened and Kyra came in with Lily. She and Iggy squealed when they saw each other. They met in the middle of the room, all smiles and hugs.
“Guess what, Lily?” Iggy said, barely containing his excitement. “I’m going to live here. And I’m getting a medal for…va…va…whatever it is, it means bravery.”
“Iggy, you’re the bravest person I know.” Lily looked up at Kyra. “Well, you and my sister, and the Protectors.”
“Guess what else?”
“What else?” Lily echoed.
“Riana killed Baldy; they caught Rat-Poop, and threw him in prison?”
Cy and Oz cut their eyes toward each other with raised brows. “Who is Rat-Poop?” Oz asked.
“That’s what Iggy calls Vind,” Lily said. “He says that rats poop every ten seconds, and they are full of it, just like Vind.”
Cy didn’t think it was possible to laugh, but Iggy had an uncanny ability to bring it out of everyone.
Kyra strode over to Cy. “How’s Riana?”
He glanced toward the operating room. “I’m about to go check on her.”
“If it’s alright with you, I’ll take Lily and Iggy over to the kitchen and have the cook fix them something to eat. I don’t know how long it’s been since the boy had a decent meal. Lily said she snuck food for him the last couple of days she was there. I suspect he hasn’t eaten since she left.”
Lily rushed over to them. “Can Iggy stay with us tonight?” she pleaded.
Cy looked at Oz, at a loss for words. He’d never been responsible for another person.