by Lacey Thorn
Erika leaned close to Arik and whispered in his ear. She prayed to the goddess that some part of him would hear her words and that those words would show him just how much he was needed. “It’s me, Arik. I love you so much. Galen has gone to find Livya and I am going to help him. I don’t want you to worry for me though. I’ve kept a secret from you for quite a while now. Actually I’ve kept two of them but the time has come to share the biggest one with you. I’m a Guardian, Arik. The goddess has blessed me with the very power to move the earth and all that grows from it. I can bend the trees, make flowers grow and, Arik, I can even make the very earth itself shake. I will be fine, so don’t worry over me. I want you to focus on getting well so that I can share my other secret with you and Galen. Just know that I love you and I will be praying to the goddess that you heal and come back to me.” With that she kissed his brow and looked up to see her mother Erin and Mama Katya standing in the doorway.
“You plan to go?” Erin asked her daughter.
“I must go, Mama. I think that I know where she has gone and I would see her pay for what she has done.”
“But, Erika, you cannot risk yourself this way. You are destined for a greater battle than this one.”
Erika’s eyes flashed with anger. “There is no greater battle for me than that for the man I love. I would gladly die for Arik and Galen if the goddess asked it of me.”
Katya felt the tears on her face but made no move to brush them away. “May the goddess follow you and guide your path, your hand and your heart.”
Erika embraced her mother through bonding and asked of her, “Will you watch over him for me?”
“I will not leave his side.”
“Thank you, Mama Katya.” She looked once more at her mother and then headed out of the room.
Erin stopped her with a hand to her shoulder. “I understand why you are going, Erika. I would do the same in your place.”
Erika turned and embraced her mother. Her mother may not like what she was planning but she understood and that was good enough for Erika. “Will you wait here until I return?”
“I will stay and help to watch over Arik for you.”
“Thank you, Mama. I will be careful. I promise that I will not take any foolish chances.”
Erin nodded at her daughter and watched as she left the house. She could only pray to the goddess that Erika would be safe and well and that if Galen caught her he wouldn’t kill her.
Chapter Thirteen
Erika made her way as silently as she could through the woods. She paid close attention to the noises around her. It took her over an hour to make it back to the hidden cavern she had followed Livya to just a few nights ago. She entered as quietly as she could, straining to hear whatever she could. She stopped and hid in the same little break in the cave wall that she had the last time she was here, when Tamya still lived. She felt such shame then. She should have tried then to bring Tamya back with her to the village. She should have insisted that someone come sooner.
She stayed hidden for what felt like hours before she finally heard what she had been waiting for. Livya’s voice came from the opening of the cavern. She pushed as far back against the cave wall as she could when she felt the two women pass her on their way to the more open room of the cavern. Reanna was indeed with her but it looked like she was here on her own. Erika would do everything that she could to protect the young girl.
“We should be safe here for a while,” Livya stated as she entered the big chamber and moved to the pond. “There is still plenty of food here to last us for a while. The Donan warriors have already been here once with Galen Savari. They should not check again. Plus if Tamya was even really taken from here then it is unlikely that others will show up again.”
“You’re probably right, Livya,” Reanna replied. “You should be safe here until everything is settled back at the village. I will do everything that I can to find out why they are trying to blame you for Tamya’s capture and death.”
“It is because of that girl, Erika. She’s trying to turn everyone against me. She is jealous of the fact that the Savari asked me to bond with them first. I declined them of course.” Livya gave a remarkably realistic look of fear. “I’m too afraid to bond with anyone.”
My, my, my, the little liar even managed to blink tears into her eyes.
Reanna hugged Livya close to her. “You poor thing. I’m so sorry that you have to go through this after everything else you’ve been through. I’ll do my best to set everyone straight.”
Erika could see the wicked gleam in Livya’s eye now that she was not facing Reanna. “Would you stay with me for a little while before you leave? I’m so afraid to be alone.”
“Of course I will, Livya. Why don’t you just sit down and I’ll take a look at what supplies you have here so I’ll know what to bring you.”
Livya crossed with her and sat down while Reanna started sorting through things, seeing what they had and what they might need. Erika watched as Livya halfheartedly picked up a rock and started idly tossing it back and forth between her hands. Reanna was still looking through supplies.
“Is this all of the stuff that is here, do you think?” Reanna asked.
“There might be some more back behind,” Livya volunteered and when Reanna bent over to check she took the rock in her hand and hit Reanna hard in the back of the head, knocking her out. Then she threw her head back and laughed.
“Thank you so much for your faith, my dear, but I think that I’ll use you as my safety net instead. Having you will ensure that the Donans don’t kill me and it will keep Galen away as well. Plus I’m sure that I can barter your body to Abran for my own safety.”
Erika stepped out from her hiding place. “But it won’t stop me, Livya.” She had already taken note of the lush plant life around the pond, the scattering of rocks around the cavern. She had plenty of weapons at her disposal and before she was through she would use them all.
“Well, my, my, my. Look what we have here. Poor little Erika ran away too. Why, she just couldn’t stand the hurt she had caused by chasing Tamya to her death.”
“What are talking about, Livya? Planning more lies?”
“Just telling you what the village will think when they know that you’re gone. No one will miss you.”
“That is where you are wrong. I am not some shy girl who you can turn with your lies. I know who I am and I know who loves me. I’ve decided to share that with you.”
“Well, lucky me,” Livya murmured as she stood and moved toward Erika with the stone still in her hand. “You’ll bring me more as a prize than the beautiful Reanna will. You know I watched you and Galen in the woods. I watched the way he fucked you and then I watched you with Arik. You’re a bad, bad girl, Erika. You love to fuck. The others will enjoy you. I wander just how many cocks you can take at once.” She was close now. So close that Erika could feel the air of Livya’s breath on her cheek when Livya spoke. “I’ll enjoy watching them fuck you even more than I did Tamya.”
Erika’s eyes flashed fire and Livya laughed. “I watched as they each took turns with Tamya. Her screams were like ambrosia. Yours will be better.”
“Yours will be justice, Livya,” Erika said as she lifted her hands into the air. “What kind of woman are you that you could derive such pleasure from the pain of others? Are you even human?”
When Livya went to swing her arm with the rock at Erika, Erika just held her hand out and the rock crumbled to dust. Livya looked startled and began backing to the pond where Reanna still lay. Erika knew that she meant to use the girl but she just followed after Livya, waiting for her to get where she wanted her.
With a flick of Erika’s hands vines shot from the water and wrapped around Livya’s arms and feet, pulling her wide. Livya screamed in shock and pain. The vines were like hands ripping her apart. Her legs were stretched as wide as they could go and her arms felt like they were being pulled from their sockets. She would snap in two at any moment and then it stopped.
She looked down at Erika with eyes wide with fear. “Who are you? What are you?”
Erika walked up until she could look straight into Livya’s eyes. “I told you that I was not some easily manipulated girl, Livya. You picked the wrong woman this time.” She flicked her wrists and the vines pulled again, making Livya scream. “I am more than you could ever imagine, Livya.”
Erika heard a noise behind her and turned to see Galen and the Donan brothers in the entryway to the cavern. They would take this from her. They would deny her this justice and she would not allow it.
“No!” she yelled and threw her hands in their direction. Boulders and rocks fell, blocking the entrance so that they could not enter but leaving room at the top so that they would know that she was not trapped.
“Erika!” She could hear the fear in Galen’s voice.
“I’m fine, Galen. I will take care of this.” She turned back to the still-screaming Livya and did her best to ignore the irate warrior now behind her. She vaguely heard them trying to move the rocks out of the entrance. She wasn’t worried though. By the time they broke through she would have taken care of Livya just as she wanted to.
“Who are you? What are you doing?” Livya screamed out in terror as the vines pulled harder before Erika finally stopped them again.
“Do you feel no remorse for what you have done, Livya? Do you care that Tamya is dead? That Arik lies now upon our bed close to death’s door?” Erika yelled at her.
“Tamya was a fool, an easily manipulated girl.” Livya threw Erika’s earlier words back at her. “She was eager to please, following me around like a dog at my heels.”
“She trusted you and you betrayed her,” Erika cried out as she pulled the vines taut, once more making Livya scream.
“She got what she deserved!” Livya screamed as she thrashed in the air, fighting the vines with all she had. “She had everything and didn’t even appreciate it, didn’t even know it.”
“Is that what this is about? Were you jealous of her?”
“She had everything! I had nothing! They all had everything while I struggled every day just to make sure my aunt and uncles didn’t kick me out.”
“They? How many women have you delivered to the others?” Erika was horrified as the truth hit her. “That’s what you’ve been doing, isn’t it? You’ve been taking women to them. May the goddess save us! What have you done?”
“I did what I could. I persuaded them not to take me when they caught me when I was coming to my aunt’s. It took me weeks to persuade them to let me go, to make them see that I could help them by bringing them other women.” Erika could see the insanity in Livya’s eyes. “Do you have any idea what I went through? No, of course you don’t. I was raped repeatedly. I was only seventeen. They threw me on the ground spread my legs and kept me that way for two weeks,” she screamed. “Sometimes two of them would mount me at once, sometimes there would be three. If I didn’t suck and swallow just the way they wanted me to then they wouldn’t feed me. Two weeks I endured that hell and then I made a deal to set me free.”
“You made a deal that ensured that other women would endure that same hell. Knowing what you went through, how could you do that to another woman?” Erika demanded.
“Better them than me! I would do it again in an instant. I would do whatever I had to in order to survive.”
Erika shrieked her rage at the world out as she used her hands to make the vines pull Livya deep into the pond. She lifted her in and out of the water repeatedly as she yelled her frustration. It tore her up inside to feel even the tiniest bit of pity for a woman who was not strong enough to stand up for herself. She understood Livya making the deal but not her willingness to keep it. She raged for the women that Livya had befriended and then betrayed in the most horrendous way imaginable. All those women whose only mistake was in picking the wrong friend.
She felt hands on her shoulders and snapped back into the moment.
Galen shook her. “Stop this, Erika. Stop this at once.”
She looked up and saw that the Donans now had a hold of the vines and were trying to unwrap them from the unconscious Livya. Reanna was sitting against the wall, watching it all with wide eyes. She had no idea just how long she had been consumed with her rage, how long she had lifted and lowered Livya into the water of the pond, how long she had kept the girl submerged. With a wave of her hand Erika released the vines from Livya and watched as Alexi lowered her to the cavern floor.
“Is she alive?” she whispered. She shouldn’t care but she did. She didn’t want to have that woman’s life on her hands.
Alexi looked up and nodded his head. “Yes. She still breathes.”
They were all looking at her and she didn’t know what to say, what to do. She turned to Galen and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I couldn’t let her get away. She had to pay for Arik.”
Galen closed his eyes. “He’s…”
Erika shook her head. “No. He still lives. But he would not be in our bed now fighting for his life if not for her.”
Galen pulled her to him and hugged her tight. “How did you manage this, little one? It seems that you have something to tell me.”
Erika let her gaze linger on all four of the other people in the room before she spoke. “I pray that when you hear what I have to say that you will all keep my secret.”
“What secret is that, little one?” Galen asked her.
Erika took a deep breath. “I am a Guardian, Galen.” She waited, expecting him to laugh as warriors were prone to do. It was no secret that they did not believe in the coming of the Guardians or even that there was really a curse on the Isle of Altair. When he didn’t she continued. “I have been gifted by the goddess with power to move the earth. I can make plants grow and do my bidding.” She waved toward the vines that had been around the wrists and ankles of Livya. “I can move rocks and even crush them with my thoughts.” She pointed to the now-clear entrance to the cavern. “I know that you may not believe me but I’m not lying to you, Galen. That is why I could not give up my green. To deny I am of the earth would be to deny and reject the gift that the goddess bestowed on me.”
“And your afternoons with your mother?” Galen asked calmly.
“They were so that I could work on controlling my powers.”
“So your mother knows. Who else knows, Erika?”
“Mama Katya and that is it except for everyone in this room now.”
Galen looked hurt and Erika couldn’t figure out why. “Do you think so little of me that you chose to keep this from me? Do I mean so little to you?”
“No! Never that! I love you more than anything in this world, Galen. You and Arik both mean the world to me. I only tried to protect you from this. I know that warriors don’t believe in the Guardians and I wanted to spare you for as long as I could.”
“I would have believed you, Erika. I love you. I would never betray your trust.”
Erika hugged herself against Galen. “I know that. Galen, please don’t be hurt by this.”
“If one shall die, all will be lost,” Reanna quoted from where she still sat by the wall. “They will have to protect you with their lives if need be. A Guardian must be protected at all costs.” She stood and walked to where Erika had wrapped herself around Galen. Gently Reanna laid her hand over where Erika’s rested on Galen’s shoulder. “I pledge to you my faith and honor. I will guard your secret even with my life.” Then she knelt at Erika’s feet.
“I can see why you wouldn’t want anyone to know,” Galen said dryly.
“Please get up, Reanna. There is no need to kneel before me. I am still just Erika, bonded mate to Arik and Galen.”
Marcus stepped forward and helped Reanna to her feet. “I may not have believed in the past but now I have seen firsthand that Guardians do walk among us. My brothers and I will guard your secret close to our hearts as well and with our lives if they are needed.”
Galen clasped his arm to Marcus’
. “Thank you, my friend. I pray for happiness for you and your brothers.”
Erika turned in Galen’s arms and pulled Marcus down so that she could place a chaste kiss on his surprised mouth. “May the goddess bless you and yours.”
Marcus nodded and told them, “We will leave you to continue in private.”
“You are welcome to stay in my home as long as you would like,” Erika offered Galen’s friend. Galen nodded his agreement.
Marcus smiled down at Erika and turned to join his brothers in taking Reanna and the unconscious Livya back to the village. He prayed for the goddess to bless him and his brothers as well.
Galen turned to Erika once they were alone in the cavern. “I too would give my life to protect you, little one. I know that I can speak for Arik as well.”
Erika turned to him and stood on tiptoes to take his face in her hands and kiss him softly on the lips. “Don’t you know that is why I could not find the strength to tell you of this? That is my greatest fear, Galen, that I would be the cause of death for you and Arik. Can’t you see that it would kill me? I would not make it without you! You and Arik are my world, my life, my heart. If you are gone then what do I have?”
“You will always have us. We would never leave you unprotected, never would have if we had known in the beginning.”
“But would you have bonded with me knowing who I am, what I am.”
“You are Erika, the only woman that Arik and I have ever loved. Nothing would have stopped us from taking you as mate.”
Galen tugged on Erika’s hand and pulled her closer to the pond. When he thought they were far enough he tumbled her to the soft moss-covered ground and began to hurriedly undress her. He kissed her deeply, stroking his tongue over hers while his hands stroked her body. She felt his knees parting her legs and moved her hands to his pants before he could. She tugged on the laces until they parted for her eager hands. She tugged his pulsing cock into her hand and cupped her other hand around his heavy balls.