The Willow

by Stacey Kennedy

Sighing deeply, I threw the kilt to the floor and dug back into the box. Next, I pulled out tiny silver shorts and an amour bra. Obviously, a man had designed this gear, which just fuelled my irritation.

  Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. Why had Kyden given this to me? I had a sneaky suspicion I wasn’t going to like the reasons behind it.

  My only consolation—at least I was going to look damn sexy doing it.

  Chapter Six

  My reflection looked nothing like me, I didn’t just look sexy—I looked downright lethal. The gear left little to the imagination and accentuated my figure perfectly. If only I felt good enough to enjoy it.

  It’s kinda hard to lie to yourself when you can see the truth starring back at you. As much as I wanted to hate Kyden, I couldn’t. In fact, this whole situation only made me realize how much I cared for him. However, that’s where the problem lied. I cared so much for him I had to be very careful. With his track record, staying clear away from him was the only choice.

  “You can do this,” I told myself sternly. Then, I tore myself away from the mirror, slammed the door behind me and made my way to the Guardian’s Hall.

  Kyden was leaning against the back wall when I arrived. He pushed off, unable to hide his reaction, his breath hitched and his gaze flared. But as quickly as it came, it vanished, replaced by pure rage.

  Huh?

  “You’ve been itching for a fight little one,” he growled. “So let’s have it.” Then, he slammed into me with the full force of his body.

  Immediately, I flew back and kept sliding. Apparently, the jab to the goods obviously pissed him off last night, but truthfully, I hadn’t been expecting this. I was the one supposed to be pissed off here. This man had balls of steel to be this much of a dick to me tonight. Well, if he wanted a fight, he was sure as hell going to get one.

  I leapt to me feet just as he lunged forward. Before he could hit, I slapped his face impeccably hard. The loud crack echoed through the hall.

  He slowly raised his gaze to mine. “Bet that felt good?”

  With an, I’m woman hear me roar vengeance, I blasted back, “Damn right!” He deserved a good slap in the face and I was glad to give it to him.

  From there, not a single word was spoken. I was hit, thrown, squished, beaten, bruised—and that was only to name a few of the assaults that came my way. No Guardian power could save me from the force of Kyden. Each hit he made was fast and the pain that came with it almost shattered me.

  Time was simply forgotten. Judging by the way my body ached and the sweat pouring off my skin, I guessed we’d been fighting for a while.

  With a hard kick to the chest, air breezed by me as I flew across the room and hit the wall with a loud thud. The power of it knocked the wind right out of me. As much as I wanted to get up, I couldn’t.

  “Had enough?” He asked with a raised arrogant brow.

  I struggled with myself. Fuck. I didn’t want to walk away from this, but I was done in. I couldn’t fight anymore. I glanced up at his superior face and he knew he’d won. Staggering to my feet, I shouted, “You know what Kyden, go fuck yourself!”

  “Trust me, Álainn,” His tone was serious. “I’d much rather fuck you.”

  Scowling, I spun away, stomping out of the hall. Going to the only place I could think of, I made my way to the Witches House.

  Once at Haven’s, I threw open the door. Her modern pad was neat and tidy as usual, but that’s not what caught my eye. Haven and Finn were half-naked on her sleek black couch, making out. I could hardly care! I slammed the door shut and began pacing the room, swearing. They remained on the couch, confusion on their faces until Finn finally sighed, getting up to re-clip his kilt.

  While I paced harder, my swearing became louder.

  “Well, doesn’t this look familiar?” Finn laughed.

  I shot him the look of death and he stopped laughing immediately. Comparing my hissy fit to Kyden’s—grrr!

  “And there’s my cue.” He laughed harder, making his way for the nearest exit.

  Haven sat up, not bothering to put on her shirt over her bra. “What’s wrong with you?”

  I glared at her and began pacing faster from one side of the room to the other, throwing my hands up—huffing, swearing, doing whatever I could to feel better.

  “That—son of a—” Turn. “He—what does he think—” Turn. “Oh, he’s just so—” Turn, then I stopped. “Fuck! I’m just so mad!!”

  “Would you stop pacing?” she asked, snappily. “Why are you so angry? What’s happened?”

  “For starters, I just got my ass handed to me by Kyden and I’m not the least bit happy about it. He was such a complete asshole.”

  “So, this is about training?”

  Suddenly, the door flung open and Kyden stood with Finn behind him.

  After a moment of awkward silence, Finn cleared his throat. “Haven, get dressed. Let’s go.”

  She shook her head. “No way! I’m staying to watch this.”

  “I said, let’s go.” He rushed forward, grabbed her off the couch, taking her shirt from the floor with him.

  “Ouch, Finn, that hurts!” she squealed.

  With a slam of the door, I was left alone with Kyden. I resumed my pacing.

  “Nexi,” he said softly.

  I stopped, glaring at him. “No, don’t you say a goddamn word. I don’t want to hear a damn thing you have to say!”

  “Listen—”

  “No. Just because you’re angry at me, you need to make me feel weak. Do you feel better about yourself now?”

  “That’s—”

  I lunged toward him and smacked my hand over his mouth. “No! Not one fucking word!”

  A smile grew beneath my hand. His gaze was so amused it was a surprise he wasn’t laughing. My anger doubled. Before I could blast him one, he stepped forward and quickly threw me over his shoulder.

  “Come on, you.” He laughed.

  “Put me down.” I pounded on his back. “Right now.”

  “Umm…” He hesitated. “No, I don’t think I will.”

  Who knew where he was taking me. I was too busy beating the hell out of his back to bother to look. His grip never loosened. He never let go, but at least I'd cause a bruise or two. He deserved that.

  Laughter was drawing closer. Too bad, I was too pissed off to give a shit.

  After a few more pounds on his back, he grunted as he put me down. “You can stop that now.”

  I didn’t. I pounced forward and punched his gut. “If you ever do that again, I’ll—”

  He interrupted. “Just turn around.”

  I spun around. Instantly mortified to see Talon and Zia both staring at me with equally amused expressions. I glanced back at Kyden and gave him the look of death.

  He raised his brows and laughed loudly.

  “Nexi,” Talon said firmly.

  “What?” I hadn’t meant to tear a strip off him like that—the anger blasting through me made it impossible to control my tone.

  Amusement lightened his eyes. Obviously, he didn’t mind my tone. “Kyden has told us you are ready for the Guardian Trials.”

  “The what?” I snapped.

  “The Guardian Trails,” he repeated. “It’s to determine the next stage of your training. If you pass, you will join the council’s guard and go with Kyden on assignments. If you fail, you’ll train as a shield.”

  My anger began to fade replaced with confusion. “A shield?”

  He sighed and appeared annoyed with my questions. “The council needs elite Guardians to defend the Otherworld. If your skill does not reach this level you will become a shield.”

  Zia interjected. “Think of it as a bodyguard.”

  “What do I have to do?”

  Talon answered, “You will be tested against a werewolf and a vampire to determine your level of skill. To succeed, you will need to destroy them.”

  “I don’t really have to kill the
m, do I?” My emotions had already been through the ringer and killing someone would pretty much send me right over the edge.

  “No. You’ll be using a practice sword. Its sharp enough to cut, but won’t kill.”

  Relief washed through me. I wasn’t quite sure if I was ready to go ahead and end a life. I wasn’t really sure if I’d ever be ready, but that was something to deal with another day. I had enough on my plate.

  “You have some bruises,” Zia observed.

  “Wonder why?” I shot Kyden a dirty look.

  He gave me a stupid smile in return.

  “Are you sore?” she asked.

  Sore—that was an understatement. Being healed was a necessity in my having the strength to do this challenge, but my pride just couldn’t say it.

  “Yes,” Kyden spoke up. “She needs to be healed.”

  Wasn’t he playing the abuser well—regretful and all.

  “Here, let me help,” Zia said, then took my hand, sending a bunch of tingles to trickle through my body.

  Ahh…sweet relief!

  She released my hand, smiling, which I returned and followed Talon into the hall. Just as she reached the door, she turned around. “Oh and good luck.”

  Luck. Would I need luck to get through this? Never seeing it before, or even hearing of it for that matter, I hadn’t a clue what I was walking into.

  “Two simple rules,” Kyden said, as he turned me around, helping me into my back scabbard, then he placed the sword in it. “First, aim for the were’s heart, and twist the blade. Second, decapitate the vampire.”

  I spun around. “I have to cut off their head?”

  He nodded with a slight curve to his lips. “That’s the idea.”

  “Shouldn’t I have practiced this?”

  “You’re a Guardian. It’s what we do. Your sword is as much of you as the rest of your body. It will feel natural, trust me.”

  My gaze sank deeper into his and my heart betrayed me by clenching. It must have shown on my face, because his expression immediately softened.

  He reached forward. “Álainn.”

  “No,” I snapped and backed away. “Stay away from me.”

  His brows drew together and he lowered his hand. He hesitated for a moment, then said, “Right, the trials come first.” He began to walk away. “Come on. They’re waiting.”

  We stepped through the door and I wasn’t thrilled to say the least. The Council’s Hall was full of Guardians—at least fifty of them.

  Talon waited in the center of the room and waved us forward. “Tonight it’s our duty to witness Nexi’s challenge,” he declared. “Kyden, do you pledge her ready for this challenge?”

  When we stood in front of him, Kyden gave a firm nod. “Yes, she’s ready.”

  Before he turned away, his gaze met mine. He didn’t have to tell me what he was feeling, it was written all over his face. This wasn’t going to be easy for him to watch, which instantly brought to light just how bad this was going to be.

  Was this why he was so tough on me earlier? Was he trying to prepare me? The thought settled the lingering anger that was making it difficult to breathe. At least there was a reason for him being a total dick.

  My gaze drifted to Drake, who stood off in the corner. He appeared equally on edge. He gave me a soft smile and a quick nod of encouragement.

  Suddenly, a deep growl came behind me. I turned around and found a large snarling wolf barreling toward me. He smashed into me with such force I went flying back. Without even the chance to land, he lunged forward and bit deep into my thigh.

  Big mistake.

  Reacting instantly, I bashed the side of his head, kicked out and heard a bone crack. He howled loudly and dropped to the ground. Without hesitation, I grabbed the sword from my back and stabbed.

  Moments later, he still hadn’t moved. He was lying flat on his side, bleeding profusely. His body contorted in such a way I must have broken his back.

  Oh shit, I’ve killed him. They said I couldn’t kill him!

  Thankfully, he whimpered. I sheathed my sword and bent down, running my hand through his fur to comfort him. “Zia,” I called out.

  Seconds later, she was there kneeling beside me. “You are doing well. Stay strong.” She rested her hand on the wolf’s head. He yelped then he shifted.

  Holy fuck! Brax stood before me. I had just defeated the Master of Weres. After a good pat on the back, a thought sprang up. If I just fought Brax, did that mean…?

  My suspicions were answered immediately when Zade flew at me, literally. Vampires can fly?

  My amazement ended when he crashed into me and the world, for all of a few seconds, faded away. I landed, not giving into the blackness and charged forward. Drawing on every skill Kyden had taught me, looking for any opening that would give me an advantage.

  It was difficult to find one.

  Defeating Brax was easy. Zade was a whole ’nother story. Lord he was fast. His hits came at impossible speeds and each one nearly shattered me with pain. Considering I was too busy defending myself against his advances, I had yet to strike back.

  There was no end to this fight. I was soaked in sweat, breathing heavily and neither of us was weakening. I needed to end this quickly. As strong as I was right now, it wasn’t going to last. But how?

  After I blocked a kick, the answer hit me. I pushed him away, grabbed my sword and quickly slashed my arm. The pain blasted right through me as the warm rush of blood trickled down my arm. Zade’s gaze immediately went black and in that hesitation I swung.

  Kyden was right. This did feel natural. If the sword had been sharp, his head would have toppled off nicely. Since it wasn’t it just left a pretty deep cut, which instantly healed.

  “Very innovative.” Zade smiled.

  He appeared almost shocked by my move. Leaving me to draw the conclusion that no one had done that before. Made perfect sense to me.

  “Well done, daughter,” Drake praised.

  When I met his gaze, he was beaming with pride at my accomplishment. As much as I was proud of myself, I was still attempting to catch my breath. That was one hell of a fight.

  Movement caught my eye. Kyden stepped forward and gave me a tight nod, an expression of pure determination on his face.

  The look racked me with confusion. Pride, yes I expected to see that. Determination left me dumbfounded.

  There was only seconds to consider that before Talon’s voice drew me back to the present. “Use this well, Nexi,” he said, then handed me a sword.

  My sword.

  When I took it from his hands, it was surprisingly light considering how long it was. The handle, a black leather grip with brass wire wrapped around it and the blade a deep shiny silver. I spun the sword in my hands. Guardian was engraved in gold on one side of the blade and Nexi was engraved on the other.

  “Welcome our new Guardian of the Otherworld!” Talon shouted, which sent the crowd to erupt in loud shouts of praise and acknowledgment.

  Suddenly, Finn’s laughter broke through. He gave me a hard slap on the back. “I thought Zade was going to make a meal out of you.”

  With his hit came a sharp pain in my forearm. When I glanced toward it, blood was dripping all over the floor. The cut was much deeper than I thought, split right open with the muscle exposed.

  “Let me take care of that wound you gave yourself,” Zia chastised. “What a silly thing to do.”

  Just as I glanced at her, she took my hand and squeezed it lightly. Instantly, pain blasted through me sending screams of rage from my throat. Cuts obviously hurt more to heal than bruises because this was brutal.

  Thankfully, within seconds, the pain vanished. My breath hissed through my teeth and my vision came back to me. Amazingly, my arm had completely healed. Turning it from side to side, there wasn’t a mark on it. “That’s so cool.”

  Zia nodded. “Comes in handy from time to time.”

  “I bet it does.” My gaze
travelled across the faces in the room, but the one I was looking for was gone.

  Why I wanted Kyden to stay and congratulate me was beyond me, but I did. Seeing that he’d left had the similar effect as a blow to the gut.

  * * * *

  The garden did exactly what I thought it was going to—soothed me. Inhaling deeply, delighted by hundreds of rich scents, I walked along the path and let my hands graze along the tops of the bushes. The flowers were in full bloom and everything here looked wonderfully alive.