Alexa's Warrior Mate (Guardian Warrior Mates, Prophecy of Salvation Book 1)

by Bernard, Lynnette

  Daria’s eyes cleared. She sighed softly and looked up at Lexi with a smile on her face. There was a definite twinkle in her eye. She had seen the love and the children that Lexi would have with Sebastian. She had seen the excitement and honor that her oldest sister would bring to the role of queen. She was going to bring life into the castle. Daria and the rest of her sisters were going to enjoy every moment of it.

  “Mom told us to be ready to embrace our destiny,” Daria told them firmly. “Everything I’ve seen in my visions tells me that we’re exactly where we’re meant to be.” She looked over her shoulder to the entrance of Sebastian’s home then returned her attention to Lexi. “Walking through that gatehouse is what we’re meant to do so we can continue our journey and help these people.”

  “I agree with Daria. We have to take the first step. Mom and Dad would have wanted us to do this,” Evie said finally.

  “Down, Mommy,” Hanna called out quietly, squirming in Bree’s arms in an attempt to get down.

  Bree placed her carefully on the stone pathway that led to the gatehouse. She looked down and smiled at her baby girl.

  “Torin!” Hanna called out, turning to look among the many warriors who stood behind Sebastian. A smile lit her face as Torin stepped out from behind Sebastian to come to her right away.

  “What is it, Lady Hanna?” Torin asked, looking down at her and smiling softly at the sweet child.

  Hanna reached out her right hand, waiting patiently for Torin to give her his hand. She didn’t have long to wait. Torin offered his hand at once. She loved Torin. He was a big cuddle bear that made her feel warm and happy.

  Torin was filled with happiness as Hanna gripped the index finger of his left hand, holding him tightly. Her sweetness had already stolen his heart. The twinkle in her violet eyes and her beautiful smile showed him the joy within her innocent soul. She looked up at him with such open acceptance and joy. How could he not love her?

  “Mommy,” Hanna called out, reaching out with her left hand and waiting.

  Bree walked over to her, offering her right hand and laughing softly as Hanna gripped her fingers and tugged her closer. She looked up at Torin and saw that he was watching them both with a soft smile on his face. Bree couldn’t help but feel a thrill of joy rushing through her. Torin smiling was a beautiful thing to behold. To see that smile directed at her and Hanna was wonderful.

  She wished she could take the sadness from him and replace it with good feelings, but she knew better than to think she could help him. She could barely help herself, and she knew that she would only cause him heartache when she couldn’t return the physical love that he deserved.

  She felt Hanna tugging on her hand and couldn’t help but laugh softly that this tiny little imp was dragging her and the warrior that was a mountain of strength. She could tell that Torin was tickled by that fact, as well.

  “Come on, Mommy,” Hanna told her urgently. “Torin, move!” She let go of their hands and pushed at Torin’s legs, a gasp of frustration escaping her when she couldn’t budge him. He was big.

  Torin laughed softly. “I am moving, sweet one,” he told her, walking with short steps so that Hanna did not have to run to keep up with him, although the way Hanna was hurrying toward the gatehouse, he was going to have to move quicker in order to keep up with her.

  Hanna turned to face them excitedly as she stood before the entrance of the castle. She held out her hands and waited for her mommy and Torin to come to her. Once they did, she gripped their fingers and tugged them along with her.

  The three of them walked through the open archway of the gatehouse. They could not see it, but the shield of magic emitted a soft violet glow as they passed through to enter the courtyard.

  “Did you see that?” Evie asked, looking at Daria who stood beside her.

  “I did.”

  “What do you think that means?” Francie whispered.

  “It means that Bree will finally be happy,” Daria told them quietly.

  “Are you sure, Daria?” Gaiya asked for all of them.

  “I am.”

  Daria’s declaration may have been said in a gentle voice, but the surety of it was as strong as steel. Each of the sisters looked at her, waiting for whatever it was that she was going to tell them. They trusted that Daria knew what she was talking about. She must have had a vision.

  They all worried about Bree. She was a loving sister and mother, a fierce fighter, and a powerful empath. She was more than capable of taking care of herself and Hanna, but she had isolated herself from life since the night she had been attacked. She had been hurt. Badly. They did what they could to help her get through what she had gone through, but they were at a loss to know what to do to help her open herself to anyone other than her sisters.

  “Torin will be the one to show her love,” Daria told them quietly.

  “But will she be able to love and trust him?” Callie asked, voicing the worry that each of them had for Bree.

  Daria smiled softly. “It will take time, but I’ve seen her with Torin,” she told them. “I’ve seen them very happy. They will have a beautiful family together.”

  “She deserves to be happy,” Lexi whispered.

  “Everyone deserves to be happy, Lexi,” Francie said softly. “What is deserved, and what is realized, are not always the same thing. Life isn’t fair. You know that.”

  “I do.”

  Lexi’s voice was filled with sadness. She knew that life wasn’t fair. She knew that too many people went through their lives without a special someone to love or care about them. Her sisters were perfect examples of that. Up until she had met Sebastian, she had also been one of those people.

  Their mother had told them that they would find their destiny on Altavesta. She had also told them that they would find deep love. It was something that each of them secretly held hope for, but honestly didn’t think was ever going to happen.

  Lexi turned her attention toward Sebastian as he stood watching his warriors entering through the shield of the gatehouse to head into his well-defended home. The violet glow didn’t appear again. Only the spark of white and gold as each warrior walked through the shield appeared. It told her that they were good men.

  Looking at Sebastian, she saw the seriousness of his expression as he looked up at the battlements. It was obvious that he was evaluating the defenses of his home to ensure that all of them were safe.

  She walked back to him and took his hand, sighing with pleasure as he turned toward her and smiled softly as he looked down at her. The gentle squeeze of his hand around hers sent a small surge of magic rushing through her. The magic brought with it a healthy dose of warmth, and a gentle wave of love.

  “Are you ready to enter your new home, Lexi?” Sebastian asked her quietly.

  “We all are,” Lexi told him, looking at her sisters as they walked as a group toward the archway.

  Looking at them as they each walked through the shield, she saw the bright spark of white and gold that surrounded them, but there was also a glow of violet that was intense in its beauty as it lightly kissed each of them. She turned away from them in time to see Sebastian’s look of awe as he followed their progress into his kingdom.

  “You see the violet glow, too,” Lexi whispered.

  He nodded. “I see it,” he told her quietly. “It pleases me greatly.”

  “It does? Why?”

  “It is further proof that you and your sisters are the warriors spoken of in the ancient prophecy,” he told her, his eyes flashing golden as he looked down at her. “The magic that you bring to our world has manifested itself and has joined with the magics of the rest of our people to shield our home.”

  Lexi was unable to speak. She had seen the violet glow. She had also seen the magic shields that surrounded each of Sebastian’s warriors as they entered through the gatehouse. Perhaps that was the way the castle opened to the good magic of the people who lived there.

  “The castle is welcoming them,” Lexi said
, looking at Sebastian in amazement.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Lexi told him, smiling widely. “Your world is just full of surprises, Sebastian.”

  He drew her closer and embraced her, kissing her forehead lightly and pressing his lips to her temple. He was filled with happiness and relief that he was finally able to bring his life mate home.

  “Our bonding as showed me that I am a better man with you by my side,” he told her quietly, easing back so he could look into her violet eyes. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her knuckles lightly. “It was not just the power of my magic that you have enhanced. You have increased my capacity to love.”

  “Sebastian,” Lexi whispered, overwhelmed by the honesty of his words. She could feel the strength of his love as he held her hand. She could also feel the way his heart was opening up and wrapping itself around her as if she was being surrounded in the softest of flower petals.

  “I am beyond grateful to the heavens for bringing you to me,” he continued. “You are the most incredible woman I have ever met.”

  “Because I’m a warrior?” she asked, confused.

  “Because you have found it within your heart to accept me as I am and care for me anyway.”

  “Oh, Sebastian. How can you believe that I wouldn’t want you just as you are?” Lexi reached up with her free hand and caressed his cheek, loving the scruff of beard that covered it. “You’re the kindest, most giving man I’ve ever met. You make me happy. You send my heart racing when you smile at me.”

  “Do I?”

  “Yeah. You do. And you make me want to strip you naked and throw you down on our bed and love you silly.”

  Sebastian laughed softly, but there was a definite growl in is voice as he pulled her closer and held her tightly against his chest. It was obvious that he desired her. That was great, but it was the love that he felt for her that pushed her into a state of need. She could feel the same need emanating from him, as well. It thrilled Lexi to know that her words and her presence affected him in that way.

  “If you continue to speak such words, I will carry you through the courtyard, bring you to our chambers, strip the clothes from your body, and love you until you scream my name, my queen,” he told her very seriously.

  “It’s the custom of my world for a man to carry his wife over the threshold of their home the first time they enter it as husband and wife,” she told him, shrugging off his words of desire and distracting him with tradition.

  Sebastian reached down and scooped Lexi up into his arms so that his right forearm was safely settled beneath her legs and his left arm securely held her back. He tucked her against his chest and carried her through the shield of the gatehouse.

  An explosion of gold, white, and violet erupted around them as they breached the shield. Everyone in the courtyard turned toward them in surprise and worry, relaxing when they saw their king carrying the woman who was obviously his life mate. It was apparent to them that their lonely king had finally found love.

  “Sebastian, this is embarrassing,” Lexi whispered. “Please, put me down.”

  “No, my queen, I will not,” he told her as he made his way through the crowd of people who had gathered to welcome him and his warriors home.

  He walked through the courtyard, nodding to the people who were there to greet them. Making his way over to the stone stairway in the center of the courtyard, he climbed up the three steps and stood on the open landing. He turned to face his subjects and warriors, smiling at them as he slowly lowered Lexi to her feet so she could stand to his right. He took her hand in his and brought it to his mouth to kiss it lightly then held it against his chest.

  “My brother Tristen advised us to go to the lagoon,” he told them, his booming voice carrying across the courtyard. “His vision has led us to the eight warriors with violet eyes that has been foretold in our ancient prophecy.”

  There was a murmur of excitement coming from the people before them, sending a wave of happiness and hope throughout the area. Sebastian could also feel the surge of their combined magics strengthening as their acceptance of the newest members of their family linked them together.

  “Our worlds, and the worlds that we protect, have been blessed by their arrival. We will know peace, and our lives will be filled with love.” He turned to look at Lexi, lifting his hand and touching her face gently. “I have been given a wonderful gift. This woman beside me is Alexa Gallagher. She is a skilled warrior and a good and kind woman. You will soon know the tenderness of her heart and the caring of her soul. She is my life mate.”

  He leaned forward and kissed Lexi’s temple lightly before turning to face the people before him. He saw the smiles on their faces and knew that they were happy for him.

  He was aware that his younger brothers Tristen and Bryden were making their way through the crowd, their eyes filled with hope as they neared them to stand at the bottom of the stone stairway. Torin and his warriors, and Lexi’s sisters and niece also stood along the stone pathway that bordered the walkway. Seeing everyone gathered there, Sebastian saw the perfect opportunity to do what he wanted to do in order to fulfill a promise made.

  “It is the custom of Lexi’s world for life mates to declare their love for each other and dedicate themselves to each other as husband and wife before family and friends,” he told them.

  Lexi’s heart nearly stopped. When she had told him about the marriage ceremony, she had never really expected him to actually carry through with conducting one. It touched her more than she could have ever imagined that it would.

  “Alexa Gallagher is my wife, my life mate,” Sebastian announced proudly. “She is also your queen.”

  Shouts of happiness erupted from his people. He could see Tristen and Bryden looking up at him in surprise. The way their magic pushed forward to surround him and Lexi, told him that his brothers held great happiness for him.

  They had both been encouraging him for a very long time to get out into their world and go exploring so he could find the woman meant for him. He saw the sparkle in Tristen’s golden eyes and suddenly realized that his brother had known that he was sending Sebastian to find his life mate. He was going to have a serious talk with him later.

  “I have a very important question to ask of this gentle warrior,” Sebastian called out, the crowd quieting at once. He turned to face Lexi, taking both of her hands within his and pulled them up to hold them against his chest. “Do you accept me as your husband and life mate before our families and friends, Alexa Gallagher?”

  “I do,” Lexi answered without hesitation, realizing that all of the people who stood in the courtyard were completely silent and listening intently to every word that they spoke to each other. “Do you accept me as your wife and life mate before our families and friends, Sebastian Mathieson?”

  “For time and all eternity,” Sebastian answered, his deep voice certain as he looked directly into her eyes so she could see the honesty of his words.

  Lexi smiled softly up at him, her violet eyes sparkling with the love that she had for him. She slipped her hands out of his hold so she could slide them up to card her fingers through the hair at his temples. Her feelings for him bloomed fuller with each moment that she spent with him and experienced the beauty of his love.

  “You have to seal the deal, Sebastian,” Lexi whispered to him.

  “I do not understand,” he whispered back, smiling at the soft laugh that escaped her at his words of confusion.

  “You have to kiss me,” she told him.

  “I most certainly do,” Sebastian told her, wrapping his arms around her back and tugging her closer.

  He held her gently, looking into her eyes and seeing the love she had for him mirrored there. To look into those eyes for the rest of his life would truly be a gift.

  He kissed her then, tenderly and completely. Everything and everyone around them faded away as he lost himself in the gentleness and the love that Lexi gifted him with becau
se of her open heart and pure soul. When she sighed into his mouth and whispered his name, he could not contain his happiness, nor did he try.

  His magic surged from him in an arc of color, lighting the sky above them with gold and violet. Lexi hugged him tightly and laughed softly as she pressed gentle kisses against his throat before resting her head upon his chest. He realized in that moment that Lexi had brought everything to him. Love, hope, happiness, caring, and tenderness abounded—because of her.

  King Sebastian Mathieson was no longer the lonely king .

  Chapter 23

  Everyone filled the area before the massive wooden table in the Great Hall. Lexi couldn’t help but be impressed by the sheer size of the room. She was also stunned by its beauty. A stone fireplace with a gorgeous mantle dominated the room. It was glowing brightly with the fire built within it. She could feel the warmth of it as it radiated throughout the hall, but she could also feel the magic it was emitting. It was surrounding all of them with protection.

  Looking at Sebastian, she realized that he was the reason every place felt safe. She saw that his brothers Bryden and Tristen also emitted that same protective magic. It was obvious that the three of them were caring members of the Royal Family. When Sebastian had introduced his brothers to all of them, she had felt their kindness and acceptance immediately.

  Tristen stood to the right of the fireplace. He was dressed in a formal cutaway tail coat of black that was edged in gold braiding. The coat was left open to reveal the formal black trousers and white shirt that he wore beneath it. He was tall and muscular, although not as tall as Sebastian. Lexi guessed he was about six feet three inches tall. Where Sebastian was blond and golden, Tristen was dark and mysterious. He had black hair that was cut short and golden eyes that masked the pain within him. Lexi wasn’t fooled by the smile that he wore. She could feel that his pain was both physical and emotional. She wanted to do something to help him, but she didn’t know what.