She had to protect herself and was determined to keep the power of her gift from him. She could not hurt him by sharing the visions with him. It had taken her years to protect herself from the emotions that she felt when she experienced them. To give him even the briefest glimpse into what she saw and felt would be dangerous.
She pressed the fruit to his lips and watched as he gripped it with his teeth and pulled it into his mouth. She let go of it quickly before her fingers made contact with him. Lexi had warned them not to touch any of the men until they were ready to accept a life mate if their touch happened to begin the bonding process.
Daria secretly wanted to touch Landon to see if he was meant to be hers, but she had to be careful. She had to hold herself back from tracing the intricate tattoo that appeared on his chest and right arm. The curved design on his arm that looked very much like Arabian cutlass swords told her that he was a warrior, but it was the words that appeared on his chest that confused her. The language looked to be an ancient one. It had to mean something of great significance.
The tattoo that appeared on the back of his right shoulder was partially covered by his clothing, but she could clearly make out the first letter that was black in color and intricate in design. The letter D began the word that marked him. It gave her a warm feeling in her chest that perhaps her name graced his back.
She was too shy to ask him. She was too afraid to touch him. Maybe after she spent some time with him, she would be willing to take the chance and do both. She couldn’t help but blush lightly at the thought that she truly wanted to experience life with this man.
“Thank you, my lady,” Landon whispered, licking at his lips to gather the sweetness of the fruit.
Daria nodded and eased back in her chair to put some space between them. She wasn’t ready. As much as she wanted to take the chance, she couldn’t. Not yet.
Landon must have sensed her hesitance because he offered her a small smile and nodded to her before standing and taking a step away from the table. She watched him as he reached over her to grab one more piece of the blue fruit before he turned and walked away. Her eyes followed his retreat until he walked out of the Great Hall. The room felt empty as soon as he left it, despite the fact that it was filled with people.
Lexi and Bree shared a look. Emotions were running high among their sisters. Lexi was worried that Bree might be experiencing empathic overload, but she looked calm enough. Hanna sat on her lap, nibbling at some of the sweet pastries that were on the tray before her.
“Aunt Callie,” Hanna called out to her, lifting her hand with a sweet confection in it and offering it to her.
Callie walked over to the table and sat down in the empty chair beside Bree. She opened her mouth and allowed Hanna to feed her the small treat. She hummed in appreciation, smiling at the joy that filled her niece. Hanna was such a sweet child who always did her best to make all of them feel good. Callie loved her to pieces.
She placed her arms on the table and slowly lowered her head to rest on her forearms. Closing her eyes, she sighed softly as she took a moment to relax. She was so very tired. Healing the warriors had really wiped her out. She felt as if she could sleep for a week and she would still be tired. Her mother had told her that when she found the man who was meant to be hers, he would be her source of support and would help her so that her strength wouldn’t be depleted after using her gift to heal others.
Callie was looking forward to finding her future husband. Despite the many warriors that she had healed, touching them had not begun any bond with any of them. They certainly hadn’t helped her to remain strong. Callie didn’t think she would ever find the man who would fill that tall order. She truly didn’t think that he existed.
“Aunt Callie,” Hanna whispered, touching her aunt’s cheek and stroking it gently.
Callie opened her eyes and looked at her niece, doing her best to smile in order to reassure the little girl that she was okay. She couldn’t help but sigh when Hanna leaned forward and kissed her cheek lightly.
“I love you,” Hanna whispered.
“I love you, baby,” Callie whispered back.
“He’s going to help you,” Hanna told her as she petted her aunt’s brown hair slowly as it fell in soft waves over her shoulders. She loved the golden streaks of color in her aunt’s hair. It was so pretty.
“Who, Hanna?”
“The man who is hurt.”
Callie sat up quickly, the room spinning violently as she moved. Bree and Lexi grabbed for her at once. She gripped their forearms and looked at them in a panic.
“Who’s hurt?” she asked quickly, worry filling her. “I thought we healed everyone. Sebastian, who is hurt?”
Sebastian came forward and knelt down beside the four of them. “I know of no one who is injured, Lady Callie,” he told her honestly.
“Someone is hurt,” Callie insisted. “Hanna knows.”
Sebastian looked at the small child in surprise. “The Lady Hanna knows?” he asked, his voice quiet as awe filled him at the thought that this small child held such a gift of awareness.
“She knows,” Bree answered for her child. “She always knows.”
“Torin, are all of our warriors accounted for?” Sebastian called out to him.
“I will have all of them check in.”
“Someone is injured. Find out who it is.”
Torin nodded, turning and leaving the Great Hall quickly, barking out orders to his men as he went. Several men followed him, ready to search for the injured warrior.
“How will they find him?” Callie asked, reaching out and gripping Sebastian’s forearm.
“We have devices for communicating with our people,” Sebastian told them. “Each of our warriors carries one. Torin will contact every warrior who is not within the castle walls. We will find whoever is injured, Lady Callie. This, I promise you.”
“Aunt Callie,” Hanna called out quietly.
“What, baby?”
“The man is tired,” Hanna said softly, her violet eyes swirling with the power that her gift gave her. “Grandma and Grandpa said he’s fading away.”
Callie jumped to her feet, wavering slightly as she began running after Torin. Lexi ran after her. There was no way Callie was going to deal with this without her. Sebastian bolted after them, catching up with both women quickly and wrapping his arm around Callie’s waist to steady her.
“Sebastian, we have to find your warrior,” Callie told him as he ushered them through the castle and out into the open courtyard.
“We will, Lady Callie,” he promised, hurrying to the far battlement, through the archway at the base, and into the shaft that would lead them to the underground area that housed their transports and battle ships.
Callie did her best to take deep, even breaths in order to calm herself and keep strong. Whoever this injured man was, he was teetering on the edge of life and death. She said a silent prayer to her parents to keep him safe until she could reach him.
“We’ll find him, Callie,” Lexi told her, needing to assure her sister.
“We have to, Lexi. He’s ready to pass over. Mom and Dad are keeping him safe, but they’re not going to be able to protect him for long.”
Lexi nodded, knowing that their parents were watching out for them as they always did. Despite the sadness that all of the girls experienced because their parents had been lost to them, each of them were given reminders of their parents’ presence through their dreams and thoughts—just as Hanna had experienced just moments before.
“Sebastian, Verrick is not responding to our communications,” Torin told him as he, Lexi, and Callie walked toward the scout ship that was large enough to carry twenty passengers. “He is assigned to the outpost in section five.”
“We need to get there. Now!” Sebastian said firmly.
He gripped Callie’s hand with the intention of helping her up into the ship. She pulled her hand free and hoisted herself through the open doorway of the ship. He was impress
ed by her strength. He was awed by her determination to heal a man that she did not know.
The ancient prophecy did not do justice to the goodness and dedication of the warriors with violet eyes. The Gallagher women were more than warriors. They were goodness and kindness personified. Sebastian knew that the love and the help that they brought to Altavesta could never be measured.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Landon looked at Daria and was surprised by her sense of calm. She sat beside the table, watching her sisters run from the Great Hall, but making no move to join them.
“Do you not need to be with Callie to aid her in her healing of the missing warrior, Darry?” he asked her quietly.
“No.”
“I do not understand.”
“My sister must travel this path alone. It’s her destiny.”
“Queen Lexi will be with her. Will that interfere in what Callie is meant to experience?” Landon asked, fascinated by the gift that Daria Gallagher possessed.
Daria’s eyes lost their clarity as a vision took her. It was only a matter of seconds before she slumped back into the chair and sighed with relief. Landon reached for a goblet of pornar juice and offered it to her, unsure what, if anything, he could do to aid her.
“Lexi is needed to protect her,” Daria said, her voice weak. She took a sip of the juice and sighed with pleasure at the cool, sweetness of the refreshing beverage. She placed the goblet back on the table, using her last bit of strength to do so. She could feel the exhaustion that was overcoming her and knew that only a good night’s sleep would help replenish her strength.
“Maybe we should have gone with her to help,” Francie suggested as she walked over to the huge table and placed a platter of the most delicious smelling pastry creations there for them to enjoy.
“She and Sebastian will protect Callie and the injured man,” Daria offered.
“What about the other warriors?” Bree asked for all of them.
“They will be well,” Daria told them with certainty.
Her parents often spoke to her through her visions. She kept some of their words private. Other times, she told her sisters everything. This was one of the times where she wouldn’t reveal all. She didn’t know how Bree would react to the fact that their mother and father had told her that Torin would be a worthy son-in-law, a loving husband to Bree, and a caring and protective father to Hanna. Daria did her best to keep the smile from her face as she thought of the words that her parents had said to her.
You and your sisters will be very blessed with wonderful children and loving husbands. All of our grandchildren will be beautiful, Daria.
Daria watched the retreating figures of those rushing to the rescue of the injured warrior. She knew all would be well, but she also knew that they were going to be facing great danger.
Mom, Dad, please watch over everyone, Daria whispered in her mind.
A warmth surrounded Daria, letting her know that their parents were doing exactly that. She sighed softly, closed her eyes, and rested a moment before opening them and looking into the eyes of the man who was going to hold her heart.
“Darry?” he whispered as he filled the goblet with more pornar juice and offered it to her.
“All will be well,” she told him, accepting the goblet and smiling.
She concentrated on his gentle, blue eyes and saw the kindness of the man. She saw the sadness that bordered on despair within him, too. But most of all, she saw his capacity to love. It was a deep, forever kind of love that he would have for her and the children that they would create with that love.
Yes. Everything was going to be just fine.
Chapter 25
The small scout ship hovered over the area deep within the forest that surrounded the land where the castle had been constructed. There was an outpost hidden deep within the cove of trees that bordered a small body of water not far from the castle. Verrick was one of the warriors assigned to that post to routinely scan the area with the technology created specifically to find the known ship signatures of the Gorin fleet.
Since the Gorin were adept at bastardizing other worlds’ technologies, those signatures were constantly changing. Sebastian was lucky to have Verrick and several other warriors who possessed great intelligence and understanding of technology within his ranks.
Verrick and Bryden had been the ones who had created the tracking system that was used to warn them of unknown ships entering Altavesta’s atmosphere. It was Verrick’s warning communication that had alerted Torin about the ship that had been found to carry warriors who were planning to assassinate the Royal Family. He had also notified them of the ship that had brought Lexi and her family to their world.
“Torin, sweep the area to make sure the Gorin are not in hiding,” Sebastian told him firmly.
“Conducting the sweep now,” Torin responded, paying attention to the panel of instruments before him. “There are several unidentified life forms surrounding the outpost. There is movement within it.”
“Is it Verrick?”
“It is difficult to tell.” Torin hesitated, looking at Sebastian with concern.
“It’s not Verrick,” Callie said suddenly, a feeling gripping her and telling her that the warrior that they were looking for was not within the structure.
“I want to know if that movement belongs to the Gorin,” Sebastian demanded, a deep growl leaving him at the thought that the outpost had been compromised and his warrior had been injured in the fight that he knew had to have taken place.
Torin activated several controls to conduct the scan. He sent out his own power to ascertain the identity of the life form within the structure. He had always been able to sense the heartbeats of individuals from the time he had been a young man. The Gorin had proven themselves to be a struggle for him, however. If they had hearts, Torin had never sensed them. He thought that was very telling of the heartless and cruel nature of the creatures.
“Callie, concentrate,” Lexi told her gently. “You have to find him.”
Callie closed her eyes and concentrated on the pain she was sensing. It was slowly ebbing to nothingness, and it scared her.
“You need to get me to him,” she whispered, almost afraid to voice the fear that was squeezing her heart. She hesitated a second before turning toward the small lake. “I don’t think Verrick is near the structure. I think he’s over there.” She pointed toward the small body of water. Something was drawing her toward the row of small bushes that edged the area near the crystal water.
Sebastian nodded to Torin, not questioning Callie’s statement. He had already learned that every one of the Gallagher women had gifts that made his own magic pale in comparison. Torin piloted the ship toward the water, touching down carefully so as not to disturb the area where Callie had pointed.
Verrick was injured. None of them knew what they were going to discover when they found him. The last thing Torin was going to do was kick up dirt with the propulsion unit of the ship and cause further danger to the warrior.
The door to the ship had barely been opened by Sebastian when Callie pushed by him and jumped to the forest floor. In seconds, she was running toward the small hill to the right of the pool of water. Callie ignored the warnings that both Sebastian and Torin called out to her.
She could feel the heartbeat of the wounded man getting fainter. He was barely holding onto life. Callie couldn’t allow him to slip away. She was meant to help him. Her parents had given her the direction and the strength to find him. Verrick was depending on her. She wasn’t going to let him down.
Torin looked around and centered his magic within himself as he searched for any lifeforms. He remembered how Bree had described the coldness that had settled within her when she had sensed the presence of the Gorin. He closed his eyes and tried to tap into the coldness that Bree had described.
A swirl of magic began in the center of his chest, spiraling upward and outward to fill his mind and his body. He saw Bree in his mind’s eye and felt the rush of po
wer that came to him from her. He was not going to question it. He was going to accept what she offered and embrace it.
The Gorin are all around you, Torin! Bree’s urgent voice reached out to him, penetrating his mind. Be prepared to fight! Warn Sebastian and Lexi!
“Sebastian!” Torin called out, knowing that Bree’s connection to him was very real. “The Gorin have surrounded us!”
A hand gloved in dark green reached up through the sand and grabbed Callie’s ankle. She yelled out as she pitched forward and hit the sandy beach hard. She gripped the knife at her waist and twisted her body to stab at the hand that held her. Although she connected with deadly accuracy, the grip on her ankle never wavered.
Her knife sliced through the dark clothing, tearing into the gray skin beneath it. The decaying skin emitted a rotten smell that made Callie’s stomach turn. The Gorin really were disgusting.
Sebastian created a shield of magic to surround Lexi, Callie, and each of his warriors. He was not taking any chances on them being injured during this surprise attack.
“Lexi, create your shield of protection!” he called out.
Lexi drew her sword as she ran toward Callie. Raising the sword, she plunged it into the base of the Gorin’s skull as the creature rose from its hiding place beneath the soil. The Gorin turned in an instant, disengaging Lexi’s sword with its sudden movement. Lexi wasn’t fazed by either the dead eyes that looked through her, or the hissing sound that the creature expelled. She remained focused.
Raising her sword once again, she brought it down with all her strength to plunge it into the left eye socket of the disgusting being. A shriek of fury filled the area. Lexi only pushed the sword deeper. She wasn’t going to allow this creature to hurt her sister or anyone else.
The area was suddenly flooded with more of the Gorin. Sebastian threw his magic at them, but it did little more than stun them momentarily. He was greatly concerned that he was becoming less effective in his use of magic against their enemy. It was as if they adapted to his power and grew stronger at every turn.
Alexa's Warrior Mate (Guardian Warrior Mates, Prophecy of Salvation Book 1) Page 36