The Willow

by Stacey Kennedy

“No time,” she said throwing the bowl in the sink. She grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the room. “Kyden’s waiting for you to begin training.”

  “Who’s Kyden?”

  “He’s your mentor.” Then, she wiggled her brows. “Can I give you a bit of advice?”

  “Sure.”

  “Enjoy how you’re feeling right now, cause it ain’t gonna last.”

  From there, Haven proceeded to drag me down the hall until we reached what she called the, Guardian’s Hall. Basically, another cathedral with similar architecture to the other one—curved archways, large stain-glassed windows, huge flamboyant pillars that supported a lierne vault. The difference was, this cathedral was half the size and for some reason it made it prettier.

  But that’s not what captured my attention, a Guardian stood in the center with his back to us, and if one thing can be said about the Otherworld, it’s this place isn’t lacking in the muscle department.

  “Hey, Kyden,” Haven called out.

  Kyden spun around, started toward us, and disguising my wide eyes was impossible. He was brawny and all male. His body was thick—each muscle chiseled to pure perfection, and his silky smooth bronzed skin gleamed against the light.

  My gaze roamed past his rippling stomach, up his bulging chest, along his burly shoulders to see a strong nose, flawless lips, and a square jaw that gave him strength as his light brown hair softened him a little by hanging messily across his forehead. My focus slid back down his gorgeous body as I watched his steps intently. He wore tight silver shorts under a kilt that hugged his body in every way they should.

  I gulped deeply.

  “Nexi, this is Kyden,” Haven introduced.

  When he stopped in front of me, my five-five frame seemed tiny in comparison. By the angle of my head, he had to be at least six-four.

  Just as I met his light green bedroom eyes, he said, “Hello, Nexi.” Lord he had a voice that was too sexy to be real. Then, he glanced at Haven and I quickly reached up to make sure I wasn’t drooling. Thankfully, I wasn’t. “Go on, Haven. She’ll be fine.”

  “Fine with what?” I asked, annoyed. Why wasn’t anyone telling me anything? I gave my foot a stomp. “What am I going to do?”

  Haven didn’t answer. Instead, she just gave a grin and sauntered off. Traitor!

  Kyden chuckled low and deep, at what I had no idea. “Come on, you.” He pulled me into the center of the hall, sat on the wooden floor, and ran a hand through his hair. “Hmm, best start at the beginning I suppose.”

  I followed the movement of his hand, but then quickly glanced to the floor before he noticed. He was delicious. Like, lick your lips and fan your face, delicious.

  “Guardians of the Otherworld investigate crimes against mortals that have been caused by other supernatural beings,” he explained. “The Council has strict laws on evil acts against mortals and the punishment is severe.”

  “You mean they’re killed?”

  “Yes,” he answered, but seeing the horror in my eyes, he quickly added, “What would be worse—an innocent child being saved or a crazed vampire dealt with?”

  “Okay, point taken. So, you fight against vampires?”

  “Weres too, but yes, vamps do give us the most trouble.” He sounded almost annoyed. “It is difficult for them to control their instincts to kill.”

  “Some can control themselves?” The idea sounded ludicrous.

  “Most do, yes. Vampires usually only take what is necessary to survive, leaving humans none the wiser. The vamps we deal with enjoy the fear too much. They can’t live on blood alone. They need to make the human a victim too. That is what we call bloodlust.”

  I gave my head a shake, putting two and two together. “So, what you’re telling me is, I’m going to be training to kill vampires and weres?”

  “That’s right.”

  A nervous shout of laughter erupted from me. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but I run from scary and dangerous things.”

  He leaned forward, dead serious. “You won’t anymore.”

  Just because he said it, didn’t mean I believed it.

  He arched a brow. “Any questions?”

  Oh no. This was going to be embarrassing. Trying to stop was pointless. I was locked in. My gaze connected with his raised brow, and instantly I was lost in his strong cheekbone that lingered down to the edge of his square jaw. Damn, he’s sexy.

  I blinked, coming back to my senses, and met his gaze again. He’d taken notice of my admiring him and gave me a sexy grin in return. I bit my lip—hard. “Nope! No questions.”

  “Let’s get started.” He pulled me up and positioned me directly in front of him. “Your fighting stance will prepare you for the fight. Always go to it first.” He placed one hand on my lower back and the other on my shoulder. “Keep your back straight. Shoulders square over your hips. Being centered is the key to standing strong.” He stepped back. “Legs out—shoulder-width apart.”

  I wriggled them out, inch by inch. “Is this good?”

  “Wider.”

  The subtle purr in his voice made my heart do a little pitter-patter. Then, it stopped—literally stopped beating.

  My hands flew to my neck. “Oh God!” Nothing. There was nothing there.

  “Alright, Álainn?”

  What did he just call me? “I—I don’t know.” I grabbed my wrist, and searched both quickly. There was nothing. No steady beat. No thumping on my fingers. I looked to Kyden frantically. “Where’s my pulse?”

  “When Zia released the block on your powers you became immortal.” He rubbed my calves, and not in a ‘where’s the bedroom kind of way’, but more like ‘let’s calm the nut case’. “Humans have heartbeats. Immortals don’t.”

  It hadn’t dawned on me until right now, but he was right. Drake didn’t look a day older than I saw in the vision. Not one wrinkle, a single grey hair or even a sunspot.

  Panic caused sweat to bead against my skin as hot flashes swept across me like a woman going through menopause.

  “Alright?” he asked again.

  “I’m—fine. I—I just need a minute.” Just breathe. You’re okay.

  He gave me that minute, plus, a couple more.

  The panic started to ease and I couldn’t help but notice the way he was looking at me. So protectively. Seeing me afraid had clearly upset him. I melted just a little, the perfect distraction I needed to calm down. I took a few necessary deep breaths. That’s odd. “I’m still breathing?”

  He nodded in full agreement. “You are.”

  “Why?”

  “We still draw life from air,” he explained. “The difference is we live off the earth’s energy not a heart.”

  “Do I still have blood?” I asked, examining my arms for veins.

  “Yes, everything in you remains. It is just the need for a beating heart is no longer necessary.”

  I drew in another deep breath because it felt good too—at least I still had that.

  “Better?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Yeah, I’m good.” Not much I can do about it anyway. If it’s gone, it’s gone. After the initial shock, it actually didn’t feel all that weird. Truthfully, having a heartbeat was abnormal. This felt oddly normal and very much right.

  He jumped to his feet, placed his hands on my shoulders and pulled them back a bit. “Again, your shoulders should always be square over your hips and your back straight.” His hands ran down my arms. “Bring your left arm up close to your body, this arm will block any body hits. Your right arm to block any hits to your face.”

  He dropped his hands and I exhaled the breath I’d been holding. Holy shit! If he touched me like that again I might actually shudder in front of him.

  “The main points to remember are to never take your eyes off the enemy, never let your guard down, keep your arms and elbows close to your body and always react first.” He took a couple steps back, calling me forward with his hands. “Alright. Let me
have it.”

  I blushed. “What?”

  “Come on. Let’s have a hit.”

  I needed to get my mind out of the gutter and quick. I took those words in a totally different meaning. First, I gave myself an internal slap for being such a pig, then I stepped forward positioning myself in front of him.

  This was ridiculous. I’d never hit anything in my entire life. I raised my arm, swung it back and hit his shoulder. The impact didn’t even make him flinch. “Well, that was pathetic.”

  “Give yourself time. You need to learn the moves properly before you can put power behind it.”

  He took my hand in his and curled my fingers in. “Keep your fingers tight within your hand. If they’re loose you’ll likely break them.” He knelt down and slid his hand down my leg. “Transfer your weight onto this side.” When I did as he asked, he glanced up and smiled. “Yes, that’s it.”

  Now, I shuddered. Dear lord, why did my mentor have to look like some guy off a novel cover? This would be a hell of a lot easier if he was less than perfect.

  He stood then ran his hand up my arm. “This arm needs to be level with the floor, your palm facing down. In a fluid motion rotate your body and use it to follow through with the hit. The power doesn’t come from your arm. It comes from the use of your entire body.” He arched a brow. “Got it?”

  First, I inhaled deeply, trying to remember I had a job to do here. Damn, he was stirring something in me that had nothing to do with the task at hand.

  “You got it?” he asked again. Amusement glittered through those green beauties.

  “I think so.” What in the hell is he talking about?

  “Now, try again. This time use your body. It’s your best weapon and it holds your strength.”

  I closed my eyes, tried to focus. Having no clue what I was doing, I concentrated on his words hoping that would help. Fingers tight, arm up, pivot back and hit. Then, I punched out and hit his shoulder with such force it sent him tumbling backwards. Even my eyes didn’t believe it. “Did I really just do that?”

  He nodded and appeared pleased. “That’s the Guardian power.” He pushed off the floor. “It gives you strength and resilience.” He began to circle around me slowly. Almost as if he was stalking his prey.

  “What are you doing?” I demanded.

  “Preparing to fight.”

  He’s kidding right? From our talk, I got the gist of what my training would involve. It just never occurred to me that I’d actually have to fight him. Watching him pursue me, I began to appreciate the size of him. I’m half his size for heaven’s sake and he’s pure muscle.

  He caught my fear instantly. “What are you afraid of?”

  “You! I can’t do this. You’re all nuts!” I felt two feet tall—I didn’t care. I didn’t need pride. I was terrified of him.

  “Alright, I won’t hit, only push.”

  “No way.”

  His brows drew together. “This isn’t a choice. I’m being nice by not hitting you, now come on.”

  There was no way out of this. Better to just face the music and get this the hell over with. Resigned, I drew in a deep breath, blew it out quickly, and landed a hard blow to his jaw. Shock, stunned, astonished—nothing could properly describe how I felt seeing him soar through the air. I’m friggin’ Wonder Woman!

  But the moment he landed that revelation quickly vanished from my mind as he began to run toward me. Fear made me dizzy. My instinct was to run, but I doubted I’d outrun him. So, I took the chicken’s way out and closed my eyes tight waiting for the hit. Waited…waited…waited.

  It never came.

  I cracked open an eye to see him an inch from my face smiling. “Plan to fight with your eyes closed, do you?”

  I nodded with total certainty. “I ain’t fighting.”

  He chuckled.

  What did he find so friggin’ funny? I wasn’t joking. They were out of their goddamn minds if they thought I’d agree to a fist fight with him.

  “Come again.” Then, he winked. “Level me.”

  The challenging look in his eyes was all I needed to respond. I swung my arm back and flung it straight into his stomach. He grunted and bent down slightly from the hit and I smiled. Actually, this might not be so bad after all.

  I brought my arm down low and swung it up hitting him square in the jaw, sending him flying backward. Then, I ran and threw my body at him, which sent us sliding across the room. I laughed loudly as we hit the wall, shocked by my strength. They weren’t kidding about the Guardian power. Pretty powerful stuff. I was knocking him around like a rag doll. Him—Mr. Muscles.

  “That was fun!” I jumped up and headed back toward the center of the room feeling almighty. As I glanced over my shoulder and saw him charging toward me, that superiority vanished.

  The moment he hit, I flew across the room.

  Before I could even get up, he hurled his body at me. I rolled away quickly and for a second I actually thought I dodged him. Doubtful! He grabbed my arm and threw me across the room. “Oof.” I landed against the wall with a loud thud.

  Apparently, Guardians are more resilient. This wasn’t completely painless, but it definitely didn’t hurt as much as it should have. And the strangest part, I wasn’t scared. I liked fighting, and the most startling discovery was that I felt comfortable doing it. I jumped to my feet and twirled away just as he lunged forward.

  Not like I made it far.

  He stopped my spin with a grab of his hand and pulled me tight against his body. “Hey—wh—” I stammered before I met his gaze. Either fighting excites him or I wasn’t the only one with an attraction here.

  As much as I wanted to stay wrapped in his arms—I wanted to land a hit on him more. Damn Pride. Using his hesitation as an advantage, I kicked out and nailed his shin hard.

  He stumbled back then grinned. “That’s it.”

  Ooohhh…this smile was new. It bordered right on devilish, which warmed and liquefied every part of my body.

  “Nice hit,” a mischievous voice said.

  I glanced behind me, a Guardian—or a surfer would be more like it—was approaching. Slim muscular body, blond wavy hair, crystal blue eyes—he’d fit right in at Huntington Beach. “So, this is the Nexi I’ve been hearing about. Haven told me she went to see you. Hope she wasn’t too pushy.”

  “No. Not at all.” The lie came easily. Saying Haven isn’t pushy is like calling brussel sprouts sweet.

  “What’s up, Finn?” Kyden asked.

  “Haven asked,” he winked, “told me to come get you two—she wants to go to the beach.”

  “Had enough for tonight, Nexi?” Kyden asked.

  “Stop or continue to get my ass kicked?” I hesitated and tapped my finger on my lip. “Hmm, that’s a tough one.”

  His devilish grin returned. “Come on then.”

  On the way down the hall, Kyden walked in front of me. God, the guy looked as good from behind as he did from the front. Luscious muscular back, toned thighs, great ass.

  Suddenly, I slammed into the back of him. “Sorry,” I gasped, prying myself from his warm delicious back. Pull it together, Nexi. Geesh! Then, I noticed we were standing at my door. “You do know this is my place?” I asked Finn.

  “Yes, I know.” Then, he leaned forward. “Better put a lock on soon or you’ll never keep her out.”

  When he opened the door, I burst out laughing then said, “Hi, Haven.”

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing,” I said, glancing back at Finn, who gave me a knowing look.

  “Let’s go, Haven,” Finn waved her over. She practically skipped toward him and leapt into his arms, then we were heading back down the hall to God knows where. After a few twists and turns, we came to a dead end that led to a door. Kyden opened it and inclined his head.

  “Thanks,” I said, stepping through. Hmm, Guardians had old-fashioned roots—being treated like a lady was never something I’d be bitch
in’ about.

  As I cleared the doorway, the warm air breezed along my skin, my hair waved gently with the wind. Haven finally jumped off Finn and linked her arm with mine. The grounds of the Otherworld weren’t really anything special, just flat and grass covered. To the right, did sit a garden that looked pretty spectacular.

  Curious as to what was now my home, I glanced over my shoulder and immediately the skivvies were shocked right out me.

  The castle belonged in a Gothic horror film, consisting of one prodigious round tower surmounted with several slender towers peering high above the castle. The stone walls were overrun with ivy, stretching all the way to the slated roof while four very large gargoyles sat at the edges guarding the grounds.