Warrior's Rise

by Brieanna Robertson

  He looked down and swallowed as the elder walked up and placed some sort of flower wreath on top of his head. He went to Darien next, then turned to two absolutely beautiful women who were standing by. One of them had long, shining chestnut hair and warm, brown eyes. The other was blonde and curvy. The elder led the blonde to Darien and the brunette to Logan. He numbly reached out and took her delicate hand in his, sighing softly.

  The elder made a loud announcement about how they were the First Warriors of the tribe, the ones to protect and defend the Avari, and all the people cheered. All except for Willow and Lucy, who kept their eyes downcast.

  The elder instructed him and Darien to go with the women back to the tents that had been prepared for them. Logan cast a glance at Darien, who looked back at him with a half-crazed sort of ‘help me now’ expression. He chuckled in spite of himself and followed the brunette over to a tent, carefully avoiding Willow’s gaze as he passed.

  * * * *

  All of Willow’s internal organs were roiling in protest, trying to get her to do something about the situation, but she firmly stood her ground. She was the queen of her people. She wasn’t going to step in and make herself look like an idiot, ruin their celebration and possibly only have Logan’s arrogant smile to contend with. If he wanted to stop this, he could have. He was far from helpless.

  “Did you see the chick they just gave to Darien?” Colt’s voice came from beside her. He was talking to his friends. He whistled. “Dang, what a hottie! He’s so lucky!”

  Lucy shoved past her friends and ran to the stables again.

  Colt frowned. “What’s her problem?”

  Aki rolled her eyes. “Colt, you’re an idiot.”

  “Should we go after her?” Doug asked.

  Aki shook her head. “No, leave her alone for now. Knowing her she won’t want a bunch of people hanging around.” She turned and started over to where Tiyenen was standing. Doug followed, as did Colt after a few minutes of staring after Lucy with a perplexed expression.

  Willow sighed and turned on her heel. She headed into the house and went straight to her room, where she changed out of her dress and into some sensible jeans and a black hoodie. She reached under her bed and snatched a bottle of Jack Daniels that she’d stuffed under there about a hundred years ago, then grabbed her bow and quiver of arrows from where they leaned against the wall.

  Without pause, she strode back through the house, ignored all of the strange and curious looks people gave her as she passed through the courtyard, and went into the stables, where she found Lucy sitting in a pile of hay, crying her eyes out. Willow heaved a sigh and came to stop in front of her. She held out the bottle of Jack.

  Lucy looked up at her and frowned in confusion.

  Willow shook the bottle at her. “Come on, Luce. You need a stiff one as much as I do.”

  Her frown deepened and she wiped at her eyes. “Miss Willow, I’m only sixteen.”

  Willow glanced around. “You see any cops here? You think the gray mare in the corner is gonna squeal on you because I’m sure not.”

  Lucy gave a feeble giggle.

  Willow smirked. “Come on. Take a chug. It’ll put hair on your chest.”

  She arched an unsure eyebrow as she reached for the bottle. “Am I sure I want that?”

  Willow snorted. “Trust me, you do.”

  Lucy unscrewed the top and took a whiff, then made a face and looked up at Willow again.

  “Don’t sniff it; just drink it.” In the back of her mind Willow asked herself what in the world had gotten into her. She was peer pressuring one of her students into chugging whiskey with her. What had the world come to? Curse Logan Savage and Darien Rivers and every other Alveda d’Kai ever created, or every other man in the world, for that matter.

  Lucy put her lips to the bottle, then threw back a slug, coughing and sputtering and spilling half of it down her shirt. She made a face and wiped at her mouth, then cast Willow a horrified expression. “That’s terrible!”

  Willow gave a dry laugh. “Yeah, trust me, after a few shots you won’t taste it anymore.” She held up her bow and arrow. “I’m in the mood for a little target practice. I know you’ve been working on your archery. Want to go shoot at things?” Booze and shooting… Now she was starting to sound like Logan.

  A small smile curved Lucy’s lips. “Can I pretend it’s Darien that I’m shooting at?”

  Willow grinned. “Absolutely.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Darien felt like his heart was going to pound right out of his chest. He was going to have a heart attack, or a stroke, or some awful thing related to your heart and blood pressure. No, maybe he was going to have a panic attack. That’s about what he felt like. The way Logan had looked when he’d come through the portal. Yup, that’s how he felt.

  He stole a furtive glance up at the blonde woman who was sauntering over to him. He was sitting on a bed in a tent with a scantily-clad woman. That setting and Darien Rivers didn’t exactly go side by side. He let out a little noise of surprise when the woman pushed his shoulders back and seated herself provocatively across his hips.

  She grinned in a way that reminded Darien of a black widow spider. “What’s wrong?” she purred as she reached up to stroke his hair. “Are you shy?” She giggled. No doubt due to the fact that he felt his face flame. It was probably red as a fire engine. “Well, what would make you feel better? You want to tie me up?” She gave another sultry laugh. “You want me to be your slave? I can do that for you. I can do anything you want.” She trailed her finger down his neck and chest, looping the crook of it underneath the fabric of that robe he wore and trying to tug it off.

  Darien’s eyes widened and he cast a glance towards the tent entrance. Had he gotten Logan’s woman by mistake? Where was he? What in the heck was he doing? This wasn’t him. He shook his head to clear his mind. Tradition or not, this was just not his style. Especially when he’d been head over heels in love with a blonde-haired girl with an obsession for mythology ever since his first year of camp.

  He let out a yelp as the blonde woman’s tongue suddenly probed his ear and he pushed her off of him, scooting away. “Look, I really don’t think—”

  She fixed him with a dark, hungry look and stalked toward him on all fours.

  Darien’s eyes widened as she lunged for him and he narrowly escaped. He stood right as she grabbed hold of his robe, causing the garment to tear clean off of his body, leaving him only in his boxers. She clutched the fabric in her hand and looked up at him like he was her main course of the evening. It was enough to send him running for his life.

  And run, he did.

  He bolted out the entrance of the tent and out into the night, half naked and all. He didn’t care. He just wanted away from that woman and fast.

  * * * *

  Logan found himself doing something that was very out of character for him. He sat on the edge of the bed in the tent the brunette had led him to, staring down at his lap and playing with his fingers like a bashful teenage boy. He should have been elated, his woman was gorgeous, but he wasn’t. All he really felt was kind of ill.

  “My name is Irina,” the woman said, crossing to him.

  He glanced up at her and forced a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Irina.”

  Her smile was warm and her eyes were gentle. “Are you sore from all the training you’ve been doing?”

  He shrugged. “A little.”

  She grinned and went to the other side of the bed, crawling up behind him and placing her hands on his shoulders. “I can help.”

  She started to knead his muscles with skilled fingers and he closed his eyes, enjoying the feel. A massage had always been a real turn on for him and he tried to will himself into arousal, but it really just wasn’t happening. It felt nice, but he was about as stimulated as if he’d gone to a spa and was being rubbed down by a Swede named Hans.

  “You have beautiful shoulders, Logan,” Irina commented as she caressed her hand over the
one that was bared by the drape of the robe. “So strong. So powerful.” She pressed a gentle kiss to his skin.

  Logan smiled, but sighed. She was sweet. She didn’t deserve this. He reached up to take her hand in his and he guided her around so that she was sitting next to him, gazing at him with question in her dark eyes. He frowned. “Doesn’t it bother you to be handed off like a prize to a strange man?” He found it odd that he would ask a question like that. Before, he wouldn’t have cared. He would have been like, “bring on the concubines!” Now, it just made him feel like a sleaze.

  Irina looked at him with confusion. “It is a great honor to be selected as a companion for an Alveda d’Kai warrior.”

  His frown deepened and he feathered his thumb back and forth across her hand. “Yeah, but, there’s no purpose to it. I mean, you’re not being given in marriage. You’re just being pimped out.”

  She frowned at his terminology.

  He shrugged and met her eyes. “It’s like you’re just being treated as an object, Irina. Like, it’s fine for you to be used and then thrown away.” He shook his head. “I used to be a man like that. A man who wouldn’t think twice about using a woman so long as I got some sort of personal gratification out of it. I’m not like that anymore.” He met her eyes and gave her a soft smile.

  She frowned. “But-But…” She looked away. “You don’t find me desirable?”

  He reached out and turned her face so that he could meet her eyes. “No, Irinia, don’t get me wrong. You are a very beautiful and desirable woman. I just can’t…” He sighed. “Especially when my mind and heart are full of feelings for another woman.”

  Her eyes softened and she nodded in understanding. “For Queen Willow.”

  He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

  She smiled. “We all see how you look at her.”

  He frowned. “And how is that?”

  “Like she’s the only woman you’ve ever seen.” She nodded again. “I understand.”

  Logan smiled and leaned in to press a tender kiss to her cheek. “Thank you, sweetheart.” He stood. “Now, if you don’t mind, I think I have to go get a few things straight with someone.”

  She dipped her head in a regal nod. “Yes. Goodnight, dragon warrior. Peace be with you, and I thank you for your honesty.”

  He stood and gave a courtly bow. It was the first time he had ever felt honorable in his entire life.

  He threw the flap back on the tent and stepped outside, hearing the festivities going strong in the courtyard. He wondered where Willow was. Starting forward, his progress was halted by movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head and his eyes bulged as Darien, nearly naked and looking frantic, raced over to him.

  “Logan! Thank goodness!” He stopped and doubled over, bracing his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

  Logan blinked and arched an eyebrow. “Care to elaborate?” He indicated his sufficient lack of dress.

  Darien looked up at him. “She tried to eat me alive!”

  Logan chuckled and put his hand on Darien’s shoulder.

  Darien shook his head. “She wanted me to tie her up and make her my slave.”

  He gave an amused laugh. “And what did you do?”

  “What does it look like I did? I ran out like a scared rabbit and she yanked my clothes off!”

  Logan laughed harder and pulled Darien against him in a brotherly embrace. “We’re a sad couple of dudes, aren’t we?”

  Darien frowned. “Yeah, why are you out here?”

  He shrugged and sighed. “Couldn’t do it. I just kept thinking of Willow.”

  Darien looked down. “Yeah, I know. All I did was think of Lucy.”

  Logan grinned. “What do you say we go find the ladies who plague our thoughts?”

  Darien smiled up at him and nodded.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Lucy laughed and Willow raised her arms up in the air in victory as her arrow managed to hit the outer rim of the bull’s eye. “How about that?” she asked Lucy with a giggle. “I shoot better after four shots.”

  Lucy clapped wildly and jumped up from where she had been sitting on a tree stump. “My turn! My—” She spun and came to an abrupt halt as she suddenly found herself face to face with Darien. Her eyes widened. “Darien?” She blinked and cast a look down at his near-naked frame. “What in the world are you doing?”

  Willow swallowed hard and any buzz she might have had going dissolved as Logan came sauntering up behind his brother. Was it over that fast? Geez… She looked down and pretended to be interested in whatever was on the ground.

  “We didn’t do anything,” Darien blurted.

  Willow’s head snapped up at that admission. Her eyes riveted to Logan, who regarded her quietly. He glanced at the half empty bottle of Jack Daniels on the tree stump Lucy had been sitting on and he blinked in surprise, then frowned. “What were you guys doing?” he asked, holding up the bottle.

  “Target practice,” Lucy replied.

  He arched an eyebrow. “Drunken target practice. That’s safe.”

  Willow folded her arms and scowled. “What does it matter to you, anyway? What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be entertaining?”

  Logan met her eyes, looking anything but amused. She didn’t care.

  “I told you, we didn’t do anything!” Darien repeated.

  “But—” Lucy stammered. “The custom—”

  “It’s a stupid custom!” Logan shouted, slashing the air with his hands.

  “Yeah,” Darien added. “Why would we want to sleep with some random chicks when all we really want is you two?”

  Willow blinked and shot her glance from Darien back to Logan. His face was impassive. He was just watching her, gauging her reactions. It was highly unsettling.

  “Wh-What?” Lucy squeaked.

  Darien stepped forward and took her hands in his. “Come on, Luce. I’m tired of being afraid to tell you. I’ve loved you ever since I met you.”

  She stared at him for several seconds, then flung her arms around him and held on as she started to cry. He smiled and stroked her hair, holding her tight and closing his eyes as if having her in his arms was the greatest form of heaven.

  “Why are you half naked?” Lucy murmured.

  Darien rolled his eyes. “It’s a long story. Come back to the house with me so I can get some clothes.” He took her hand and turned, shooting a glance back at Logan. “We’ll be right back.”

  He nodded, then turned his whole attention on Willow. She bit her bottom lip, then busied herself with picking up her bow and arrows and trying to look like she actually had a task to perform. Otherwise she was just going to either stand there and look like an idiot, or burst into tears. Neither option held much appeal for her.

  “So,” Logan started as he waved the bottle of liquor and then set it back down on the stump. “You want to tell me why you and a sixteen-year-old girl were halfway through a bottle of Jack, shooting arrows in the forest in the middle of the night?”

  She shrugged and tried to locate one of the arrows that had gone astray. She gasped when strong, unyielding hands clamped around her upper arms and forced her to stand upright and stare into the one pair of eyes she didn’t want to look into.

  “Tell me,” he persisted.

  She frowned and tried to adopt irritation as a defense. “Don’t bully me, Logan. I don’t have to divulge all of my business to you.” She tried to push past him, but it was like trying to push past a wall. He took a step closer to her and she stumbled back to avoid him. That pattern continued until he had backed her all the way up against a solid tree trunk. She drew in a shaky breath and dared glance up at him. Her heart faltered. He looked absolutely predatory.

  “You’re trying to tell me that you decided to down half a bottle of whiskey with a teenager just because you felt like it? The fact that me and Darien were supposedly being persuaded by the lovely ladies of your village had nothing to do with it?”

  She swa
llowed. She couldn’t even speak. She couldn’t think. Not when he was so close. How was she supposed to be indifferent when he was so close? She could feel the heat from his powerful body. She could smell his intoxicating scent. He smelled like the forest and the wild, like everything she loved about nature.

  “Willow.” He brought his face closer to hers, crowding her, making it impossible for her to escape, impossible for her to keep fooling herself. “Tell me the truth.”

  She hated when his voice held that commanding note. She hated when he looked at her with that fire burning in his eyes. She hated when he stood so close! Treasonous tears filled her eyes and she met his gaze with force, her words coming out with vehemence. “What do you want me to say, Logan?” she cried in frustration. “That I want you? Is that what you want me to say?” Her carefully held in tears broke loose like a river breaking through a dam. “That the thought of any other woman touching you makes me sick to my stomach? That I want you all for myself? Is that what you want me to say?” She shook her head and her body started to tremble with the onslaught of her emotion. “Do you want me to tell you that some sick part of me has always wanted you? From the moment you walked into my office? Even when I hated you. Even when you disgusted me. And then…” She squeezed her eyes shut and let her head hang. “Especially when you showed me the real you, and protected me from Cyrcinus, and embraced my people like they were your own… Especially then.” She let out a ragged breath. “I promised myself I wouldn’t tell you, that I wouldn’t give in. Especially after my moment of weakness last week when I kissed you and slept next to you. I enjoyed it too much.”