The Guardians (The Tempest Isle Series Book 1)

by S. C. Storm

  “No. I just know what’s important. For my kind, it’s those three. For your kind, it’s the two of you and your brother,” she said, looking around. “How did you get here? Teleporting or driving?”

  They both turned to the motorcycles sitting side by side. “They came with us. We go nowhere without them.” Ryder smirked.

  “Cool.” Jasmyn smiled, eyeing the slick chrome. “How about a ride to Moonstone?”

  Ryder offered her his arm. “With pleasure.”

  “I’ll take your bag,” Ryden said as he led the way to the bikes. Taking it, he secured it to his bike. “The two of you lead the way.” He hopped on and kicked the bike to life.

  “Listen to her purr.” Jasmyn smiled as she turned to Ryder, who was already on his bike. She climbed onto the back just as he revved the engine.

  “Do you need a helmet little wolf?” he asked.

  “Nah, I’m good. Just go fast,” she said over the roar of the bike.

  Ryder took off, keeping her request in mind.

  Watching as the twins and the wolf ventured away, the young vampire who had been following the Athertons quickly pulled out his phone. Getting no answer, he waited until the voicemail kicked in. “It’s me. The Atherton twins are on Tempest. A wolf seems to have brought them here. They are taking her home to Moonstone. I will give you her location once I have it,” he said, then closed the cell. He knew he had to hurry to Moonstone if he planned on finding which house the wolf lived in. He looked around and vanished.

  ***

  Tourmaline Island

  Sisters Rayne Pearson and Destiny Kramer sat in companionable silence as they each read the books that had been handed down to them over time. The ascension was near, and they both wanted to be sure of the ceremony they would perform. Not that they hadn’t done it many times before, but somehow, they both knew this ascension would be different. Rayne turned a page and let out a gasp. Getting out of her chair, the book she was reading fell to the floor, and she crossed the room. Flinging the window open, she leaned out, looking toward Tempest Island. Her senses were screaming at her as she focused on the source.

  Startled by her sister’s actions, Destiny got up. “What is it?”

  “They’re here,” was all Rayne said.

  Reaching out, Destiny felt them⸻the Athertons. “How?”

  “Alexandra. She was sent to find them, and as always, she did,” Rayne said, turning back. She looked at her sister. “Her thoughts are on Mileena and letting her know she succeeded.” She walked back to her chair, picked the book up, smoothed the pages, and then set it down.

  Destiny turned back to her sister. The look on her face was calm, but she knew better. She knew what her sister was feeling without having to read her. In addition to the tension, there was turmoil running through her. “This is what you felt, isn’t it, the Athertons coming to Tempest?” she asked, referring to Rayne’s ability to know when things would happen.

  “In truth, I don’t know, but I am inclined to believe it was.” Rayne sighed. She looked up at her sister. “You know what I see isn’t always clear. This was one of those times.”

  They heard a shout, then thundering footsteps coming down the stairs. Looking toward the foyer, she saw her daughter, Giana, appear at the foot of the stairs. Her brother, Draven, and cousin, Patrick, both jumped and landed behind her.

  “Hey, you cheated!” Draven told his sister. Rayne and Destiny watched their children in amusement.

  “Did not. You said the first one down wins. You didn’t say how we could get down here.” Giana smirked. “Quit whining and let’s go outside. I want to practice those fire and water balls Mom and Aunt Dest taught us.” Without waiting, she disappeared.

  “First one there douses her with a water ball,” Patrick said, then disappeared with Draven right behind him.

  Rayne and Destiny shook their heads. “How do you think they’re going to react?”

  “To knowing that Ryden is their father or knowing he is here?” Rayne murmured as she started pacing.

  “Both?” Destiny asked her. She watched as Rayne looked out the window at her twins. From what Rayne told her, both looked like Ryden, with sandy brown hair that turned golden in the sunlight. Draven’s features were strong, rugged while Giana’s were softer, feminine but nevertheless her father’s features. The look on Rayne’s face made her ask the question she hadn’t before. “How much do they know?”

  “Just that he was someone I met while I was away from the island once. They do know he’s a guardian. I had to tell them before the pull of the island starts to affect them. It was also because they needed to be trained as guardians,” Rayne said.

  “And nothing more?”

  Rayne shook her head no.

  “Now that he’s here, do you intend to tell them? More importantly, will you tell Ryden?” Destiny asked her.

  “I will have to, won’t I? With he and his brothers on the islands, you know Draven and Giana will eventually cross their paths. I want to at least prepare them for that,” Rayne said as her mind drifted back in time, sixteen years ago.

  It had been the beginning of summer. Destiny and Matthew, her mate, had just returned from their vacation, and she’d let them persuade her that she should go on one. Being connected to the goddess as she and Destiny were, one of them had to be on the island at all times.

  Seeing how relaxed Destiny had been at her return, she’d agreed. Leaving the island, she’d taken herself off to Greece, Santorini to be exact. There she had allowed herself to relax, put everything aside, and start to enjoy herself. It was there she’d met Ryden. She had immediately known he was a guardian but not who he was until he’d introduced himself. For some reason, she’d kept her identity to herself, only letting him know she was a witch. They’d spent days alone together and nights in each other’s arms. It went on like that for several weeks. She was surprised when he’d asked her to extend her stay so they could spend more time together. Happily, she’d said yes. Rayne had known she was falling hard for him and it had seemed, to her, when he asked her to stay that he’d felt the same way. Boy, was I wrong, she thought to herself. They had been together almost four weeks when she had noticed he’d started changing, becoming distant. Then his brother had shown up and it was, “Well this was fun, but I have to go.”

  Destiny watched as Rayne was lost in the past. “You never told me what you did.”

  Shaking off her memories, she shrugged. “What could I do? I played it off as if it were no big deal and let him go. I packed my things and came home.”

  “Rayne, you knew you were pregnant before he left, didn’t you?” Destiny asked.

  “Yes, and before you tell me I should have told him, I wanted to be absolutely sure I was, so I went to a midwife on the island. I knew she was a witch. That is why I went to her. I had just gotten back when Ryden said he was leaving. It was obvious that he couldn’t go fast enough, so I kept it to myself.” Rayne sighed and turned back to face her sister. “I did what I thought was right at the time.”

  “I understand why you did it, but you do realize the twins and Ryden may not.”

  “I do. I fully expect all three of them will be upset, if not downright angry with me.

  Destiny went to Rayne, putting her hand on her shoulder. “So what are you going to do?”

  “I will talk to Draven and Giana tonight,” Rayne said hesitantly.

  “And Ryden?” Destiny asked.

  Rayne looked at her sister. “Honestly? I don’t know. Do I go to him and tell him or leave it to chance that he will not stay around after the ascension and leave before he happens to run into Draven and Giana?” At the look on Destiny’s face, she threw her hands in the air. “Hell, I don’t know what to do. I honestly never thought he would show up here. He and his brother have been dodging their responsibility for so long, I just thought it would stay that way.”

  “But it didn’t,” Destiny said quietly.

  Rayne sighed. “I know, and despite what I said, I k
new he would eventually end up here.” She looked out the window, seeing the top of the Atherton house over the line of trees. “After I talk to Draven and Giana, I will decide when to speak to Ryden.” Catching the doubt in Destiny’s mind, she turned to her. “I will tell him, and before you ask, I will do it before the ascension.”

  “It will be all right. You’ll see. Now I must go. Matthew is waiting on Patrick and me,” Destiny said as she hugged Rayne. “If you have need of me, reach out and I will be here.”

  “I will, give Matthew my love,” Rayne told her. They walked out the patio doors to where the children were. Destiny called to Patrick, who went and hugged Rayne. Telling his cousins he would see them later, they both disappeared.

  “Mom, did you see that fireball I conjured?” Giana said excitedly. “I did it exactly like you taught me, and Draven put it out with a water ball just like Aunt Dest’s.”

  “I did, my lovely. Now I need the both of you to come inside. There is something I have to tell you,” Rayne told them.

  Draven looked at his mom. “Mom, are you all right?”

  “Yes, my dragon, I am.” She saw Draven and Giana look at each other. “Truly, I am fine, but I do need to speak to you. It’s important.” The twins looked at each other again, then went inside. Taking a deep breath, Rayne followed them, hoping they would understand when she told them the truth about their father.

  Chapter 10

  As Ryden walked into the foyer of his family home, he was flooded with memories of the last time they had been there as a family. He looked up, remembering the last time he saw their mother walk down the stairs to be greeted by their father.

  “Seeing ghosts?” Ryder asked, picking up on his brother’s thoughts.

  “A bit. You?” Ryden asked.

  “Yeah I am.” Ryder looked around.

  “Talk about ghosts. For a moment, I thought that’s what you two were,” Rian said as he walked into the foyer.

  Ryden turned and grinned. “Well look what the cat dragged in.” Going over to Rian, he hugged him tight.

  “Damn, Ryden, are you trying to break my ribs?” Rian groaned. Ryden let him go, only to be grabbed by Ryder. “Geez, you two act like you haven’t seen me in centuries.”

  Ryder finally let Rian go. “More like a decade or so. When did you get here?”

  “A couple of days ago. I knew the ascension was getting close, and I’ve never seen one, so I decided to come and check it out. What the hell are the two of you doing here? Last I knew, you weren’t too keen on ascending. When I asked you about it, I think both of you said not only no, but hell no.”

  Ryden and Ryder both laughed. “That’s exactly what we said, and at the time, we meant it,” Ryden said.

  “So what changed your minds?” Rian asked.

  “It seems that the guardian legends are true,” Ryden said dryly.

  “I know. I talked to Millie when I got here. She told me about Arthur. She also mentioned that Mileena had sent trackers to find you two.”

  Ryden told him about Alexandra and Jasmyn finding them. “That’s why we’re here.”

  Rian looked at his brothers. “So you’re ascending because of Arthur?”

  “Not just for him, for all of us. I know what’s at stake if I don’t.” Ryden went to the bar and poured a drink. He downed it and poured himself another, and one for his brothers. Going to them, he gave them the glasses and sat down. “I can’t, no, I won’t be responsible for that happening.”

  “I won’t either. That’s why I’m here too,” Ryder said. “What about you, little brother? Are you ready to do your duty?” he asked Rian.

  Rian looked at both his brothers. “Honestly, since neither of you wanted anything to do with it, I hadn’t given it a thought.”

  “You might want to, if not this time then the next,” Ryden told him. “Have you talked to anyone else since you’ve been here?”

  “No. I stopped by Arthur’s, but I was told he was resting, so I told his butler I’d come by another time.”

  Ryden and Ryder looked at each other. “I didn’t know he was here, or else we would have stopped there first.” Ryden looked away. “Before I do anything else, I want to see Arthur.”

  “And after that?” Ryder asked him.

  “Then we wait. We have a few days, and it’s been a long time since we’ve been home. I’d like to look around, see what has stayed the same and what’s changed,” Ryden told them.

  “Sounds like a plan to me.” Ryder grinned.

  “All right then, I’m going upstairs to shower and change, then I’m going to head over to Arthur’s. Are you two coming with me?” Ryden asked them.

  Ryder looked at Rian, who nodded. “Yeah, we’ll go with you,” Ryder said.

  “Well seeing as how I’m ready, I’ll wait for you two down here,” Rian told them.

  Agreeing, Ryden and Ryder headed upstairs. It didn’t take them long before they were ready and back downstairs.

  “Let’s head out,” Ryden said, leading the way to the garage. He opened it and got on his bike, and when they were all ready, they rode out. Going down the drive, Ryden had to admit that being back on the islands felt like home.

  ***

  Moonstone Island

  Alexandra parked her car. She got out, grabbed her bags, and went inside. “Home,” she said happily. She went to her room, threw her bag on the bed, and started to unpack. Just then, she heard the door. She sighed and she went downstairs, sensing who it was. “Hey, Jas,” she said, opening the door.

  “Hey, I got your text. Can I come in?” Jason asked.

  “Sure.” Alexandra stepped aside as Jason walked in. “I figured you’d be by, just not this soon,” she said, closing the door.

  Jason eyed his twin. “You should know better than that. I wanted to hear what happened.”

  “I’m starving. Come into the kitchen, and I’ll tell you,” Alexandra told him as she headed to the kitchen. Pulling some things out of the fridge, she started warming things up.

  “Looks like Erin has made herself at home.” Jason chuckled.

  “Yeah. She said she was going to get a house, but she’d stay here until I got back.”

  “I don’t think she’s found one yet,” Jason said, telling her what he knew.

  “I’m sure she’ll find something,” Alexandra said, setting a plate down for Jason. She got them drinks, then sat down.

  They sat in silence for a while. Jason could tell his twin was still angry with him. “Come on, Lex, I did it for your own protection.”

  “Yeah, I know. That doesn’t mean I had to like it.”

  “I know you didn’t,” Jason said. “Can we get past that long enough for you to tell me what happened?”

  “I guess.” Alexandra took a drink and then told her brother everything.

  “You were attacked?” Jason said loudly.

  “Jeez, Jas, all I said and that’s all you got? Yes, we were attacked, but we handled it. I tell you, Jas, those Athertons can kick some ass.” Alexandra chuckled.

  Jason stared at her for a minute. “Lex—”

  Alexandra held her hand up, stopping him. “Don’t, Jason. Jaz and I have trained for this all our lives just like you have. You need to accept that when I ascend I’m going out there to fight.” She saw a range of emotions play across his face and reached over, putting her hand over his. “I know you want to keep me safe, and I love you for it, but, Jas, I have to do this.”

  Jason sighed. “I know, sis. The idea of you, Erin, hell, even Jaz out there scares me. There’s no guarantee you’ll be okay.”

  “Life isn’t a guarantee. You know that. Fighting is in our blood; it’s our destiny. You’ve done what yours is by being our Guardian Alpha. It’s my turn,” Alexandra said softly.

  Looking at her, he nodded. “I know, but I don’t have to like it.”

  “No, you don’t.” Alexandra laughed. “It sucks, doesn’t it?”

  Jason shook his head. “Yeah it does. Does that mean you’re
not mad at me anymore?”

  Alexandra leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Yes, it does.”

  “Good, now finish telling me about the Athertons, but before you do, can I have a piece of that chocolate cake over there?” Jason asked sheepishly.

  “I guess you can.” Alexandra got up. As she cut the cake, she told him everything that happened.

  ***

  Obsidian Island, Langford House

  Arriving at the Langford home, Ryden stepped forward and rang the bell. He smiled as Arthur’s butler Raymond opened the door and beamed at them. “My lords,” he said, bowing. “Please come in.”

  “Thank you, Raymond,” Ryden said as he followed the little man inside. “How have you been?”

  Rubbing his hands together nervously, the little man looked around the foyer, then lowered his voice. “It has been difficult, my lords. Very, very difficult as of late,” he told them as he continued walking.

  “How is he?” Ryder asked as they followed.

  “Doing a bit better since we have arrived on the island. Being near the Nexxus has helped a great deal,” he answered as they reached the door of the library. “He is in here. He has already rested a bit, so he should be fine for now,” he added as he opened the door.

  Entering the room, Ryden had to stop himself from gasping. Standing by the window across the room was what appeared to be an elderly man of at least seventy years of age. It was a far cry from the distinguished young male he had seen only a few years prior. “Arthur,” he called as he and his brothers made their way toward him.

  Turning toward the familiar voice, a smile lit Arthur’s face. “Ryden, Ryder, and even our Rian,” he said as he began to step forward. The three men came to his side. “You do not know how wonderful it is to see the three of you.”

  “Arthur, why didn’t you call one of us? We would have come,” Rian said as he attempted to help the old man over to his chair and got his hand slapped for his effort.

  “I can walk, Rian, but thank you,” Arthur told him as he sat down. Seeing all their eyes on him, he sighed. “I am sorry I haven’t reached out to the three of you, but I did not want to put more pressure on all of you than you already had.”