Running in Fear: Ghost Warrior

by Trinity Blacio

  Lissa laughed, and looked at Leda, who nodded. “Let’s go for it. Since I can’t be with my kids, might as well have some fun.”

  “Okay, let’s go, and carve some pumpkins, but where did you get all the pumpkins?” Lissa asked as they made their way to the great hall that she had only seen once.

  “We asked a few of Nikola’s warriors if they would bring us some pumpkins. Oh my, you should see the big one they brought us to work on. I swear it’s going to take one of us to crawl in it to get all the gook out.” Suzanne laughed, and glanced at her.

  “Lissa I want to apologize for what they did in there. I couldn’t figure out why Temmra was so mad. She kept hissing inside my head, and believe me that can be a distraction. Damn it, that hurt Temmra.” Suzanne rubbed her arm where a bright red splotch appeared.

  “Anyway, she told me what the men had planned finally, and both of us were furious. Needless to say, we told the other women, and they have all agreed. We needed to have some down time, some fun. I think all of us are on the verge of killing somebody, and with all of us pregnant, what better way to relax then a dance?” Jaycee announced, and pushed into the great hall.

  Lissa just about fell over, when she saw the big pumpkin. “Oh my god, that thing is huge. You weren’t kidding when you said one of us would have to get inside, but I want some of the seeds from it to grow outside.” She ran her hand along the side of the pumpkin, and stared up at the huge thing.

  “I was thinking the same thing. We can dry some of the gourd seeds also, so we’ll have them.” Suzanne handed her a knife. “We thought you and Leda would like to tackle the big one.” Lissa laughed. “That’s not right, but yep, we’ll have a ball doing it.” Leda bent over laughing, at her choice of words.

  “Okay enough. We need music, candles, and the smell of outside.” Jaycee said with her hands on her hip.

  “Well, I can help with the smell.” Lissa went over, and opened the large double sliding glass doors. “How’s that?” The fresh scent of the wood floated into the room, and Jaycee smiled.

  Marsha waved her hand, and candles lit up the room, Jaycee flicked her wrist, and music started playing in the back ground.

  “Now this is more like it.”

  Leda and Lissa climbed up on top of the pumpkin, laughing as they got on top. Cider, and small pumpkin cakes, flowed freely around the room as everyone worked on their pumpkins. The song Monster Mash came on, and they all sang the song, smiling.

  “Here we go.” Leda plunged her knife in two more times, and the top was now carved out. Lissa glanced down to see one of Nikola’s warriors helping Jaycee with a decoration. “Hey Jaycee, when you’re done with him, we need him here to lift this lid off.” All of a sudden, the lid came floating off, and onto the floor below them. “Is that better?” Marsha grinned, and scooted the wheel barrel over to the side of the pumpkin.

  Lissa shook her head and laughed. “I keep forgetting you are part fae. Nikola would like to talk with you at some time, tomorrow?” She told Marsha, as her and Leda, took shovels, and started to scoop out the insides of the pumpkin.

  “Well, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon,” Marsha said, as Lissa jumped down off the pumpkin, and moved to the open doors.

  She glanced outside towards the woods, and rubbed her arms.

  “What? You’re white as a ghost, did you forget to eat again?” Suzanne slid next to her and she smiled.

  “Yep sure did, but that isn’t it. Something’s out there and I don’t know what it is. Jaycee can you tell?” Jaycee moved slowly over to them, her belly there before her.

  “You’re right. There is something out there, animal, but not.” She glanced at her, and they both nodded.

  “Maybe, this new realm is creating new animals, like it did with the plants.” Suzanne whispered and all of them jumped when an eerie scream pierced the night.

  “Okay, I’m so not going out there. I might like to be in the woods, but whatever that was sounded too close for me.” Lissa glanced at Leda, who had now moved behind her, and nodded.

  “I’m with you. I think we should shut the doors now.” Cecil reached for the door when something ran past the door and screamed.

  All six of them screamed, matching that of the creatures, but louder. Lissa pushed Jaycee back, and slammed the doors as the men came running into the room, Nikola appeared at her side running his hands over her.

  “Are you hurt? What happened?” He asked as the rest of her mates surrounded her.

  “I’m fine, but I think we have a new animal on the island.” Lissa swallowed, and pointed to the door.

  Sitting at the door, on the other side of the glass, was the strangest animal she had ever seen. It was at least 4 feet high, its dark purple eyes glanced around the room, and then it turned its gaze on her. “Okay, I don’t think I like having this gift anymore.

  Why is that thing staring at me?” Lissa backed up into Castor’s arms, as Nikola moved forward slowly with Remi, and Dominic.

  The rest of men stayed in front of the women, shielding them with their bodies.

  Nikola glanced back at her. “Can you connect with it at all?”

  “What? Connect with that? It has six inch fangs hanging out of its mouth, purple eyes and a tongue…” Lissa shook, as the green tongue at least a foot in length wiped across its fangs.

  “Lissa, you have fangs, and it’s a creature no matter what it looks like. How about you Jaycee?” Nikola turned towards Jaycee.

  Lissa yanked out of Castor’s arms, and the creature screamed again, standing up on its four feet as she slowly approached it. Can you hear me?

  The thing cocked his head to the side, and studied her. Lissa could almost sense as if the creature needed something from her.

  What do you need? Why me?

  The animal had green, plant-like skin, and it now paced back and forth, as she got closer. Nikola grabbed onto her arm. “That’s close enough.”

  Lissa yanked her arm out of his. “You wanted me to connect with it. I’m doing that, so back off.” Lissa snapped, shocking him, and her mates, but she moved forward ignoring them.

  Will you hurt me? I carry little ones in my belly. They can’t be harmed. Lissa knew the thing understood, but she still couldn’t understand it.

  “Lissa, I’m not playing games, don’t you open that door.” Nikola pushed her back, and at once the creature hissed at Nikola, sending some kind of fluid out of its mouth, onto the window.

  “I don’t think it’s too happy you touched me, and pushed me back.” Lissa peaked around Nikola’s body, to see the creature scrapping at the door where the green like substance squirted out of its mouth.

  “You might want to get back, because that thing just broke through the glass.” Lissa shouted, as it crashed through, and landed in one sweep on top of her legs as her ass hit the ground with a thud.“Damn, you’re heavy. You know I told you I had babies inside me.” Lissa laughed as the thing started to lick her hands, and exposed belly. Her mates, slowly circled her, and the creature hissed again.

  “Lissa, this is not funny. Talk to that thing now.” Nikola snapped, and Lissa rolled her eyes.

  “Okay, what should we call you? You are male, if that thing is any clue. Wow, for an animal, you sure are big.” Lissa laughed, when Nikola swore. The animal’s cock was growing larger by the minute.

  “So help me, if that creature starts to hump you, I’m going to fry it.” Nikola snarled his, long metal sword now in his hand.

  “I’m getting there. We have to find a name for it, and put that stupid sword away. I know, we can call you…” Lissa didn’t get a word out, as Dominic moved up to the creature turning part dragon, and scared it.

  “Hey, that wasn’t nice.” Lissa frowned, as the thing whimpered in the corner away from Dominic. Suzanne moved up to him, and slapped the back of his head.

  “What is wrong with you? Can’t you morons see that Lissa is somehow connected to it.” Suzanne snapped, as Nikola reached down, and picked her up.
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  “Are you okay?” he glanced down at her stomach.

  “I’m fine, Nikola. He didn’t hurt me. Now move, so I can see if he’s okay.” She frowned at Nikola when he shook his head.

  “No, you are not going anywhere near that thing, until we know it’s not going to hurt you. Whatever he sprayed on that glass melted it. Imagine what that could do to your skin, if it got on it.” Nikola held onto her waist and refused to let her go.

  “The animal will not harm her. If anything, the creature is her familiar, and you are stopping the bonding process.” Gaia announced, as she and Empusa appeared in the room.

  “You will be able to understand it, once it takes a small amount of your blood. It was waiting for you to offer.” Gaia walked over, and pet the creature, and it calmed instantly.

  Nikola grunted, but released her. “How were we supposed to know?”

  Gaia laughed, as the animal slowly made its way back to her.

  “You’ll feel her connections, and a small part of her gift, once you are bonded to Lissa.”

  “Can we please not discuss my bonding, which is a little private? At least I would like to keep it that way. Please.” Lissa frowned, and offered her wrist to the animal, but it took her finger into its mouth and poked it with an inside smaller tooth.

  At once the connection was instant. “His name is Sal-van-ger, but since I have no idea what that is, we can call him Sal. His kind mate for life, and they feed off, well you guessed it blood. They don’t kill their prey.” Lissa laughed.

  “I guess they are sort of like us, and that green liquid would have warmed our skin, but it wouldn’t have hurt us. Its plant matter, and only meant to paralyze its victim.” Lissa turned to Nikola and grinned.

  “It seems Sal wants to connect with you, since you tried to protect me. He knows you can communicate with the other males.” Lissa moved out of the way and stared at the door. “We’re going to need a new door, and something that can withstand the new world that is forming out there. Is it going to be safe to take our run later?”

  Nikola grunted as Sal sliced his finger, and sucked his blood.

  “We’re going to have to know our new world anyway. Maybe Sal can come with us when we run. That way he can point out anything new.” Nikola glanced at Remi. “I know Jaycee can’t run, but maybe some of you might want to come to check things out. I don’t know about flying, with the air turning still.” Lissa moved the step ladder once more next to the pumpkin, and she climbed back up on top with Leda. She ignored everyone around her, and went to work on the pumpkin with her friend.

  “You’re pissed.” Leda glanced down at Nikola, and then back up at her.

  “No, now come on, let’s get this pumpkin done.” Lissa glanced down to see Sal eating the insides they had scooped up. “No Sal, don’t eat the seeds. We need those.” Lissa shook her head, and grabbed the shovel as her men watched her, but discussed matters with Gaia, and Goddess Empusa.

  The other women went back to work, as the men stayed in the room to watch over them, but continued to chat. She glanced over at Jared, and saw him watching Leda. “I might be wrong, but I think someone likes you.” Lissa teased her friend, who was now waist deep in pumpkin guts, as she jumped inside the pumpkin.

  “Who? Damn it Lissa, you know I can’t see anyone from in here, and this stuff is just down right yuck. It’s going to take us an hour to get this crap out of our hair alone.” She laughed throwing a clump of goo at her, as Lissa jumped in after her.

  “Hey, that’s no fair.” Lissa laughed, and started throwing the guck at her friend. The both of them were having so much fun, they didn’t notice Nikola, and Jared at the top watching them, until a plop of gunk hit her from a top. She turned and glanced up to see them laughing at her.

  Lissa turned to glance at Leda who smiled, and flung a hand full of guck at the men above, but Leda wasn’t the only one. She grabbed hands full, and started throwing too. One glob landed on Nikola’s shoulder, another landed on his chest, while Jared got a full force, frontal attack. His whole head was now covered in pumpkin guts.

  Leda and she laughed so hard they fell on their asses, staring up at them when Leda patted her arm. “Okay, who did I just hit in the face with this stuff.”

  Lissa stood, and reached up as, Nikola grabbed onto her hand and pulled her up. Jared pulled Leda up. “Leda, may I introduce you to King Jared FourFold.”

  Leda glanced up at him, then to her. “Oh my god, I’m going to die. I flung goop all over a king.”

  * * * *

  Nikola glanced down at the ground as all four of them climbed off the pumpkin. Leda was horrified; she had just flung pumpkin guts on Jared. “Oh please.” Lissa laughed. “He was just as guilty as you were.

  You know how many times he hit me with that stuff? Relax Leda; no one is going to hurt you. I’d sick Sal on them if they did.” The strange creature lifted its head, and ran to them. Immediately it started licking all the gook off of them.

  “Exactly, what did you want to do with this pumpkin, Lissa?” Nikola studied it, then he turned to see her grinning at it.

  “Well, I was kind of hoping we could carve a scary face on it, and have lights inside it, for the dance this weekend. I also want to keep the seeds, so I can plant them this summer wherever we settle down. We’re keeping the gourd seeds too.”

  Nikola nodded, and tapped his finger on his chin. “Something like this?”

  Lissa swatted him on the arm. “Nikola we’re supposed to do this all natural, you know with knives and such. It’s a way to keep our minds from wandering.” Lissa glanced around the room. “The Goddesses are gone?”

  Nikola nodded, and pushed them both toward Castor and Pierre. “Go, both of you are a mess. And Lissa, there is no need for clothes when you are finished with your shower.” Nikola grinned as Lissa’s face turned pink.

  “You just had to embarrass me in front of Leda, didn’t you?” She hissed, but he could tell she was holding back the laugh.

  “If I really wanted to embarrass you, I could simply strip you here, and send you off to the shower.” He stepped towards her.

  “Now, do you want me to help you?”

  Lissa ran for the door, pulling Leda behind her, her friend laughing as they went. “I’ve never seen you move so fast!” She yelled as they ran out the door.

  Nikola turned and glanced at the animal that was still eating the pumpkin. Time for you to go my friend. We’ll meet you outside in a few. The animal, Sal, glanced up, and slowly made his way to the new door where Nikola opened it for him. In the reflection of the door, Nikola watched as Adonis followed Castor at a slower rate. It seemed his mates were going to settle the dominate issue tonight, afterall. Oh, he knew who would dominate, but to speak it, would have been wrong. It was a matter of the mating process in both of their species.

  Where Pierre was comfortable in his dominance, Adonis and Castor would always be testing theirs but poor Castor would lose out. Nikola ran his hand through his hair, and turned to see his father, Derek, standing before him.

  Dominic and Remi appeared next to him. “It’s okay, he’s my father.” He had never been close to his father, his ambitions always got in the way of family life. But when he was placed in the queen’s guard, he had hoped that he and his father would have become closer, but instead it brought a resentment that he couldn’t understand. “What brings you here?” Nikola lead him slowly towards their quarters, while Remi and Dominic moved to follow their mates back to their own quarters for a rest before the run tonight.

  “You know why I am here. I’ve come to ask that you do not destroy your brother, Vender. Both your mother and I would like a chance to talk to him, before you do anything.” Derek stood a few inches shorter than Nikola, but their features were the same.

  “You come all this way, but yet you mention not one word as to when I might bring my mates home for you to meet them. As for Vender, he made his path, and the Queen has already ordered that any following the dark path are to be d
estroyed.” Nikola turned before entering their suites, staring at his father.

  “You knew this, yet you come here to ask this of me? You want me to go against the Queen’s orders?”

  Nikola slowly squeezed his fingers into a fist, and glared at his father, a man he no longer understood.

  His father did not even flinch. “Everyone knows of your relationship with the Queen, that if you wished to be back in her bed, you would be. I’m sure this one thing you can ask of her. After all he is your brother, and he is more important than any quantity of humans, anyway.”

  In his shock, Nikola hadn’t noticed that Lissa and Pierre were standing behind him, until the door slammed shut and her scent drifted to him. Nikola got into his father’s face and grabbed him by the shirt. “I should kill you where you stand for what you have said, but you are my blood, and I won’t, this time. I can’t promise what the queen will do when she hears of your words, and don’t think she hasn’t already, and not from me, either. You were always different after you heard I had taken up with the Queen. Now I know why. Jealousy does not sit well with you father. And as far as my relationship with the Queen…” He threw his father to the ground. “It’s over. I have a mate, and nothing, or no one, will come between us, not even family. Go home, and pray your precious son comes to his senses, because if I come across him, I won’t hesitate to kill him for betraying his people.”

  Chapter Eleven

  With her back against the door, Lissa listened to Nikola’s harsh words to his father. Tears slipped down her face, as he cut himself off from his family, for her. Oh, she knew Nikola had had a special bond with the Queen, and was hoping he would one day talk to her about it, but for now, knowing he was willing to give up his family for them was more than enough. She glanced around the room, a fire burned bright in the corner. The crackling of the wood should have calmed her, but she hurt for her man.