by Maia Dylan
* * * *
With each step Ariana took toward the Pagan Stone, she felt a kernel of doubt seeding within her. She had been so damn positive this morning when they had been sitting around having breakfast. She had convinced herself that she would return victorious just as her sisters had in the battles they had fought over the past nine months. Now? That feeling had faded.
Ariana looked up into the early winter sky, knowing that within the matter of an hour, the dark-blue hue of night would begin to slowly edge its way across the sky from the west. The December solstice would officially begin when the final touch of sun dipped beyond the horizon and signaled the close of this, the last day of autumn.
This morning over breakfast they had talked about the best time to head to the stone, and it was determined that Aeron would not have the magical strength to do what was needed to open the rift again until the sunset began, when the power of the solstice was at its strongest. They had timed it so that they would arrive with just enough time to get into position, not wanting to arrive too early and allow Aeron’s mind games the chance to settle—
“Shit!” Ariana growled as it suddenly dawned on her why she felt so depressed and why the confidence of only an hour before had disappeared.
“What?” Ryan growled as his wolf leapt to the fore and he moved to stand in front of her. He dropped into the fighting stance of a warrior, and Ariana would have grinned and enjoyed the way her heart beat faster at his protective nature if she hadn’t been so damn angry.
“Aeron is fucking with my confidence!” Ariana said none too quietly. “The closer I get to the goddamn Pagan Stone, the more desolate and bloody convinced I become that we don’t stand a chance!” Almost as if she had turned a switch within herself, she felt her original confidence and determination for a future come flooding back to her. Whether it was in reaction to her saying the words aloud, or the fact that his stupid parlor trick had actually worked, she had no idea. All she knew was that she was finally back on her game.
“That son of a diseased, humpless, syphilis-laden, pus-filled camel with a limp!” Casey yelled from just ahead of her. “He made me feel doubt the first time we danced, and the fucker managed to instill it in me again! I am going to make that fucker hurt! He is going to bleed from every orifice he has and a few he never knew existed!”
Ariana started to giggle, her anger dissolving beneath Casey’s creative cursing. There was a reason Casey was a successful author. She had a way with words that no one could copy. Sure, most of it bordered on the expletive side of English, but whatever she came up with, it was sure to be amusing.
“Sy-Syphilis laden?” Ariana sputtered around a laugh.
“I get that part,” Cole said with a confused frown on his face. “I get that syphilis, being diseased, and hell, okay, even being pus filled could all be classified as an insult. But why would the fact that he’s homeless be insulting?”
Ariana laughed so hard she had to bend over and try to draw much-needed air into her lungs. The forest filled with the sound of laughter, mostly coming from her, Maggie, Kingi, and Casey, and that just made the whole thing funnier.
“No. No-Not homeless,” Ariana wheezed as she leaned to the side in an attempt to ease the stitch that had started in her side. “Hump, humpless camel, not homeless,” she explained around giggles, and the rest of them roared with laughter. The Kiwi accent was one that tended to flatten vowels and soften hard consonant sounds.
“Well, that makes more sense. Not a lot more, but at least a little.” Cole nodded, mirth shining in his eyes.
The entire group fell silent when a growl of displeasure seemed to ripple around them, coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. Ryan stepped closer to her.
“It sounds like Aeron is none too pleased to hear sounds of joy and laughter coming from you all,” Kingi said with a grin. “If that bastard thinks he can get the Elementals to bow down to his sadistic form of mind torture, then he is dumber than I thought.”
Ariana knew her dad had hit the nail on the head. Aeron was as narcissistic as they came. He would never have assumed that a mere bunch of humans would be able to identify his unique thread of doubt that he was slowly feeding to the group as they neared the Pagan Stone, and throw it off so easily. Well, screw him!
“He has no clue what we are capable of and how determined we are to win this battle,” Maggie added as she stepped up to her husband and clasped his free left hand in hers. Kingi walked with his taiaha held in his dominant hand.
“Then why don’t we get this little party started, huh?” Fiona said with a grin.
Ariana stared around the group, soaking in their features and their confidence, knowing that they were as prepared as possible for what lay ahead. Cole and Travis flanked their diminutive mate, who stood slightly in front of them, and Ariana saw the flicker of her inner flame in her gaze.
Beside Fiona, her parents stood side by side. Her mother rested her head on Kingi’s shoulder, and they each had a soft smile on their face as they, too, stared at their extended family. Casey stood next to them with her hand wrapped in Maggie’s. She stood tall and proud beneath the arm of her mate, and Ariana saw the blue eyes of Micah’s wolf clear in his eyes. Without a doubt she knew her sister’s mate would keep Casey safe, and Ariana dipped her head at him when he caught her eye. Micah’s gaze softened, and he returned the move.
Next in their family circle was Neve and Liam. Although they were standing close together, both of them looking longingly at each other when they thought the other wasn’t looking, they were standing apart, not physically touching. But Ariana knew for a fact that there were connections between people that existed on a whole other plane besides the physical one. She had a feeling that Neve and Liam were very much connected on that plane.
Finally her gaze rested on Ryan, whose look rested only on her. Never wavering. Just like the man himself. His love for her was unwavering, and she could stare into his eyes forever. And once this day was over, she was going to do exactly that.
“I’m going to bite you tonight,” Ryan said, his voice clear to everyone in the circle. Ariana didn’t turn to look at the sound of gasps then soft laughter from the rest of them.
“I didn’t hear a request in that sentence,” Ariana said as snootily as she could, despite the glee she was sure danced in her eyes. “If you ask me, that sounded suspiciously like a statement. Or, worse still, a demand. Surely I only imagined that demand in your words, Sheriff?”
Ryan’s eyes danced with mirth, and Ariana had to fight the urge to smile. “Nope. You didn’t imagine it at all. I am taking a page out of my brothers’ books right about now and simply forewarning you that once this day is through, and we are home in our bed, and you are wrapped tight and safe in my arms, I am claiming you, my air goddess. Now, I am not a complete dumbass like my brothers, so I will be asking you to marry me. Down on one knee. Ring in hand. Very soon. But I will be claiming you as mine before the sun rises tomorrow on a new day.”
Ariana heard her mum murmur something that sounded suspiciously like “that’s my boy,” but she held her wolf’s gaze. “Okay,” was all she said before she pushed up onto her tiptoes and kissed her man with all the love and feelings she harbored for him inside her. Ryan immediately pulled her hard against him and took over the kiss. It was quick and hard and had her heart pounding in seconds.
“Glad we got that sorted.” Ryan’s voice was a little gravelly, and Ariana grinned, glad that she affected him as he did her. “Now, let’s do as our Fire Goddess has suggested and head on up to the Pagan Stone and get this party started.”
They turned to continue up the path. The Pagan Stone was only about two hundred feet from where they stood. They followed the path and made it to the final corner, when Ariana stopped, a frown forming when she realized something.
“We never passed through the rift.” She voiced her observation quietly and saw by the jolt of surprise, she had been the only one that noticed. The last time they had
ventured to the Pagan Stone, they had passed through the threshold of the rift created by Aeron between this realm and the Otherworld, and they had each felt it like a wrenching within them. This time, there was nothing. Ariana hadn’t a clue what that meant, but she was fairly certain it wasn’t a good thing.
Hurrying forward, the group crested the top and walked out into the area Aeron had flattened during their last encounter and stopped. There was nothing there that shouldn’t be. The Pagan Stone remained at the edge of the clearing, the sun setting behind it, making it look like it was on fire, but other than that, nothing stirred.
“Ariana?” Neve’s voice trembled slightly, and Ariana turned to look at her. “Did we miss it?”
Ariana opened her mouth to answer, but no sound came out. She had no answer. Everything they had researched, everything that had made sense, pointed to this being the day Aeron would try to open the rift and pass over. He was running out of options with only one more chance after this to enter the Earth realm. This was the time he should be making a hard push. The solstice carried with it a magic that would assist him in opening the rift, but there was nothing here.
Ariana turned in circles, looking into every shadow of the clearing around the stone, but saw nothing there. Had she missed it? Was Olwen’s fate now sealed to Aeron’s? Was the earth doomed because they got it wrong? Jesus. Ariana wanted to live beyond this night more than anything else in the world. But not if it meant she had failed. Not if it meant that Aeron would be free to enter the Earth realm and claim it for carnage and chaos. Because if that was what it meant, she knew she wouldn’t be alive for long. No one on Earth would be.
Chapter 10
Ryan watched as his mate’s face filled with first horror, then fear, and finally defeat. Fuck! His wolf paced within him, not at all happy that Ariana felt afraid and confused. He cast a quick glance around the group and saw all of them looking just as confused and scared as his mate felt. Had they got it wrong? Had they missed it?
“We couldn’t have missed it,” Ryan snarled into the quiet. “There is no fucking way that demonic asshole would have simply stepped back into the Otherworld if he’d actually managed to open the rift. And he certainly wouldn’t have left this place without leaving behind the carnage and chaos his very name conjures. So where is the bastard?”
“Ryan’s right,” Fiona agreed as she continued to cast her gaze around the clearing, looking for danger or a sign that danger was imminent. “I’ve had that prick in my head on more than one occasion, and he is simply not the type to walk away, to fight another day. And he definitely would have stuck around to rub salt in the very large wound he would have been hell-bent on giving each of us. So, despite the fact I hate to sound like a broken record, where is the bastard?”
Ariana had stopped moving when he started talking. At first, he thought her gaze was locked to the Pagan Stone itself, that perhaps she was filled with the horror of what she assumed she would be required to do atop that stone—in particular, stab herself with the hunting knife she had brought with her, until she bled out. Ryan figured anyone would be frozen in horror at the thought of that.
When she finally started to walk slowly toward the stone, Ryan moved with her, and the others fell into step behind her, almost in a protective formation that told Ryan every one of them was committed to her safety. It wasn’t until they were almost standing in front of the stone that Ryan realized his mate wasn’t staring at the stone itself, but at the setting sun behind it.
“Liam, didn’t you say that the December solstice began at sunset?” Ariana asked quietly.
“Yeah, according to the books I’ve read about it, every article stated that the celebrations started at sunset on the evening of December twenty-second ,” Liam answered.
“Then it makes sense that in that moment, the magic invoked by the solstice will be at its strongest.” Ariana turned, her beautiful green eyes glowing brightly as her powers began to build and the air around them stirred. “Aeron is waiting until then to strike. And he will do so with as much force as possible. As soon as the sun’s corona touches the horizon, it will begin. We will have until the moment the sun passes completely beyond the horizon to get this done. Once that happens, either he will have opened the rift completely or we will have won.”
As soon as she spoke the words, Ryan knew she was right. Twisting to look at the sun, he saw that it was mere inches from the mountains in the distance. They had less than a minute before this began. He moved to stand beside his mate as she began to stir strong currents of air over the clearing.
From the corner of his eye, he could see Neve weaving an intricate pattern in the air, and he looked up to see clouds starting to move quickly in their direction, an unnatural but welcome sight. All four of the Elementals began to call upon their powers, and their shifter guardians moved into a position that best allowed them to protect them.
Kingi moved Maggie behind him, drew his T-shirt off with one hand, and gripped his taiaha. He then threw his head back and yelled into the darkening sky, “Tama tu! Tama ora! Tama moe! Tama mate!”
Ryan felt his blood start to thicken and his heart race at the cry. He had heard Kingi roar the same thing the last time they had stood at this place, readying to face Aeron in battle. He who stands, lives. He who sleeps, dies.
Then, the sun touched the earth, and an eerie silence fell over them for the briefest of moments. Then the gates of hell opened.
* * * *
“Sweet Jesus,” Ariana whispered as she watched in horror as she spun back toward the clearing and saw the earth begin to spew forward. It seemed to roll like a wave, creating a huge open gash in the earth at the other end of the field. It was in the exact place Aeron had opened the rift the last time. The ground shuddered as Aeron’s demons began to break free from the Otherworld, clawing their way out of the ground.
Ariana began to weave her hands in the air, calling to the air currents to do her bidding.
“Welcome to Earth, you bastards,” Fiona shouted above the roar of the rising wind, her voice filled with anger. “Time to fry!” Then, throwing her hands out in front of her, she let forth a large burst of flame. Ariana swept her arms in front of her and used the wind to force the flame flat, hurling it lengthways directly across the demons where they stood.
Instead of the screaming, demon-bursting explosion of doom that should have accompanied such a kick-ass first gambit in this battle, nothing happened. The flames seemed to travel straight through them. They didn’t even flinch.
“What the fuck?” Ryan growled from his place beside her, and Ariana felt a thread of fear take hold. She saw Casey step forward, her hands weaving rapidly. Beneath her feet, Ariana felt the ground begin to tremble and roll before large rocks burst up from the earth and seemingly crushed the ghostly forms that had yet to move from the front of the rift Aeron had opened.
When the sound of rocks crashing together and the echoing boom they created ended, there was a moment of silence. Ariana started to grin as she filled with relief, but everything within her turned ice cold at the sound of a harsh evil laugh that seemed to come from all around them.
“You fools.” Aeron’s voice was filled with glee and had Ariana’s skin crawling. “You think your powers are anything compared to mine? I am a god! I am a deity that should be worshipped above all others for having power over nature and all things within your pathetic realm! And you? You are nothing but cattle. Just fodder and folly for my demons. Did you think I would not safeguard against your pathetic powers!”
Aeron’s demons seemed to emerge from within the rocks. It was in that moment that Ariana realized that they had yet to fully materialize in this realm. Her blood turned to ice as she realized that she had been correct. This battle would not be fought on the physical plane. No matter what they threw at these things, or how close they came to Aeron this time, they would not be able to touch him, not until the rift was open completely. And by then it would be too late. Aeron would be completely within
the Earth realm and unstoppable.
Casey suddenly let out a cry as her hands flew to her temples and she dropped to her knees. Micah roared her name as he dropped beside her, pulling her into his arms, eyes casting around, desperately looking for the cause of her pain. There was a loud grinding noise as the rocks that Casey had thrust up through the earth were suddenly pulled back into the ground.
“You see how ineffective your pitiful powers are against mine? I have taken Olwen’s life force into my own! You are no longer her Elementals in the battle against me! I can turn everything back on you, and it will cause you great pain when I do. And it does hurt, does it not, Earth bitch?”
Casey groaned, then made a visible effort to hold back her discomfort. Never had Ariana been more proud of her.
Casey pushed to her feet with the help of her mate, and then Micah stood behind her, pulling her close to his chest. “I will fucking end you, Aeron,” Micah snarled, his wolf clear in his voice.
“Aww, little puppy, there is no end for me. But for you?” The rift was now visible once again, and more demons were crawling their way into their realm. A light blood-red mist began to build in the middle of the rift, and Ariana knew that was Aeron.
“You know,” Fiona yelled back, “for a demon who ran like a bitch the last two times we battled, you talk a whole load of shit. You’ve lost twice before Aeron an—” Fiona lurched forward with a scream, holding her head with her hands.
“Fiona!” Both Cole and Travis yelled as they reached to hold her up between them.