by Maia Dylan
“Ariana,” Olwen gasped and Rohan heard the distress in his mate’s tone. The Elementals all meant so much to his mate. Argon stood in front of them, walking back and forth, letting her eyes drift over the forest around them. She might not know exactly where they were, but she knew they were close.
“I know you can hear me, sister dear.” Argon basically spat out the last two words, and Rohan heard the hatred she had for his mate clear in her tone. “If you feel anything for these lesser beings, your precious Elementals, then you and Rohan will come to me. Now.”
Olwen and he made their way as silently as they could down the tree and stayed as far into the shadows cast by the trees around them as they could.
“I’m not kidding, Olwen!” Argon shouted again. “If you dare keep me waiting a minute longer, I will take this bitch’s head, do you hear me?” A woman’s pained cry filled the air, followed quickly by screams and colorful cursing the likes of which he had never heard before. Olwen shuddered beside him and Rohan knew they were out of time.
He shared a look with his mate. If he died tonight, he would leave this physical plane with no regrets. He had fallen in love with a woman who had deemed him worthy of her love. He had followed her into this realm when she had left in order to save her father, and he had been with her throughout her entire ordeal within this realm. She might not have been able to hear him, but he had been there and cried when she cried, and fought when she fought. Now, despite every cell in his body screaming at him to grab her and run, he nodded.
“Argon!” Olwen yelled, her gaze never leaving his. “Leave them be. I am here.”
There was a short silence before Argon answered in a voice heavy with satisfaction. “Then come to me, and bring my prisoner with you. Henrick has long been without his plaything. It has been too long since his whip has felt skin break beneath it.”
Rohan watched as Olwen’s eyes narrowed and the grief that had filled his beloved’s face just moments before was suddenly replaced by another emotion, this one aimed directly at her sister. Rage. His mate was angrier than he had ever seen her before and he knew that the confrontation that had been building between the two was about to take place.
Chapter 9
“Do you trust me?” Olwen asked and Rohan nodded immediately, no hesitation whatsoever, despite the flicker of confusion in his eyes. “Then you must follow my lead. When the time calls for it, you must leave me to do what I must do and you cannot interfere.” Olwen saw Rohan about to argue and shook his head. “No. No arguments. Rohan, trust in me. I think I have a way out of this, but I do not know how this is going to play out. I need you to trust me in that moment and allow me to do what must be done.”
Regardless of the wariness that now flickered in his eyes, he nodded and Olwen leaned up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. For a moment, she led the kiss to where she wanted it to go. It was sweet, full of longing and love, everything she wanted it to portray. Then she took it deeper, and just as she had hoped, Rohan pulled her into him and took over the kiss. His mouth claimed hers in a hard, full, and all-consuming kiss that had her toes curling within her shoes. They were both left breathing a little faster when he pulled back.
“I have a feeling that I would not agree with whatever plan you have, my love,” Rohan whispered as he lifted his hands to cradle her face, “but whatever it is, I will stand by you through it, and if we get out of this alive, then I will stand by you through this life and the next.”
Fighting tears, Olwen smiled, then took a deep breath before turning away and walking toward the compound. As they neared the edge of the area lit by firelight, Olwen put her shoulders back, lifted her head, and walked into the light as regally as she could.
The closer she came to the group, the angrier she became. Her Elementals were all in a bad way. Ariana’s left eye was swollen almost completely shut, and a trail of dried blood tracked down the right side of her chin from a split to her lip. Casey, despite the large bruise and swelling on her right cheek, grinned in their direction. “Olwen! Good to see you, goddess, and I am guessing that hunk of gorgeousness walking with you is your man Rohan? Damn, girl! He’s hotter than hell!”
Olwen grinned back, then turned her gaze to Fiona. The entire right-hand side of her face was covered in blood. There was a large gash over her right eye that seemed to still be weeping sluggishly. Her face was extremely pale, and she seemed to be shivering slightly against the pole she was secured to. Neve showed signs of similar physical abuse, but her concern was for her mate. Liam had still not moved from where he hung slumped in his restraints. All five of them wore metallic collars that no doubt restricted the use of their powers. If they had been able to, Olwen had no doubt whatever had happened that led to their capture would have had a very different outcome.
Rohan stood slightly behind her and to the right, in the traditional position of the Captain of the leading Monarch’s guard, and judging by the flash of jealous rage that swept across Argon’s face, the move was not lost on her.
Olwen cast a look of pure disgust at the fighter who stepped toward her, but it was the low, grumbling growl from her mate that had the Uruheim soldier stopping in his tracks. She and Rohan stepped right into the center of the area.
“Well, Argon, look at you! You always wanted to be queen, and now you’ve managed to convince a whole race of people that you are theirs, despite the fact you are not Uruheim, not of this realm, and only in the position you stand in because of Aeron’s sick and twisted obsession with me.”
Argon sneered, her face twisting into a mask of jealous hatred. “Look around you. We are no longer in our father’s kingdom. We are in mine! They worship me as the warrior queen that I am.”
A loud snort sounded from behind them. “Who the hell do you think you are?” Casey scoffed with a roll of her eyes. “Xena, Warrior Princess? I haven’t known you very long, Aggie, but from what I’ve seen, you’re not even a pimple on the ass of the great Xena.”
Olwen had no idea who or what a Xena was but figured she must have been a revered female warrior on the Earth realm and truly earned the title. “How did you convince the Uruheim that you are a warrior? From what I have gathered, they are a race that respects power and strength, and you could never have fought your way out of a wet paper bag.”
“People tend to change when everything they have ever loved turns against them.” Argon snapped. “Father turned his back on me, did you know that? He banished me from the kingdom and I had little choice but to come here.”
“And despite knowing he had no feelings for you, you convinced Rohan to cross into this realm. What was it you thought was going to happen? That time would dull his feelings for me and he would turn to you?”
“He should have always been mine!” Argo screamed, a crazed look in her eyes. “I was the elder of the two of us. Father promised me that he would be mine, but somehow you bewitched him into thinking he wanted you.”
Rohan stepped forward so that he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Olwen, exactly where he should have been all these years, and if Olwen had any say in things, that was where he would stay from this moment on. “You are right about one thing, Argon. Olwen did bewitch me, but not by using some mystical potion or visiting a damn with who practiced the black arts like you did. It was her beauty that bewitched me from the first moment I saw her, and the woman she is who will hold my heart for all time.”
“That is not supposed to be how this ends!” Argon was livid. “I took on the spirit of a beast in order to have the strength and power to lead this race. We gave you the same beast so that you could lead by my side, but all of that changed when that damn prophecy came to pass! Guards!” At her enraged shout, five Uruheim fighters moved up to stand behind her Elementals, each of them lifting a blade to their neck. “Say good-bye to your precious Elementals!”
Olwen felt a split second of fear, and then her anger took hold of it, shred it into tiny pieces, and blew the shit out of it. “Get the fuck away from them!” she y
elled as she drew her staff from the sheath behind her and got to work. Swinging it, she swept it wide, calling down the lightning to strike at the guards who stood behind her Elementals. When they were no longer in immediate danger, she spun to the Uruheim fighters who were running in from the tents that surrounded them.
She swung the staff, then slammed it into the ground. The ground rolled out toward those running toward them, flicking them into the air. She watched as they all dropped hard to the ground. She heard the roar of her mate and knew his beast was raging for a little revenge of his own. She spun toward the place her sister had stood and growled when she saw that Argon had once again fled. Swinging the staff a third time, she lit a ring of fire around them, driving the Uruheim back until it was only her, Rohan, and her Elementals.
“Damn, Olwen,” Fiona murmured. “Those are some pretty damn impressive fire-throwing skills you’ve got there.” Olwen stepped behind them, touching the staff to the wrist restraints and releasing them. Neve sprinted to Liam with a sob as soon as she was free, and helped him to the ground when he was released. Despite the fact that it meant he was in pain, the sound of his moan was a welcome one.
The group gathered together around Liam, and Olwen watched as he fought to open his eyes. He visibly relaxed as soon as his gaze fell upon his mate, who was now sobbing as she cradled his head on her lap. “Neve,” Liam rasped. “Baby, don’t cry. I’m fine.”
“Yeah, Neve,” Casey agreed, tears of relief shimmering in her own eyes. “Liam’s head is much harder than you give it credit for.”
“Olwen,” Rohan said as he wound his arms around her waist. “Argon escaped with that bastard, Henrick. The rest of her army has turned tail and run as well.”
Olwen sighed. She had hoped to have been able to end all of this shit here and now. “I have a feeling that although she might have retreated, for now, she is definitely not giving up. There is still one more battle to be completed in this prophecy and it’s going to be one-on-one.”
* * * *
“Are you okay?”
Rohan turned toward to where the soft question had come from and smiled. Neve was awake and waiting for her mate to return. As soon as they had put a little distance between them and the location of Argon’s traveling torture show, Liam had shifted into his beast and ambled into the forest. From what Rohan had been told, shifting into their animals aided in the healing process. Liam must have been suffering not being able to shift for so long.
“Just lost in my own thoughts,” Rohan answered before he returned to watching the forest for anything that endangered them. As soon as they agreed they were far enough away, Casey and Olwen used their abilities to manipulate physical environments, creating a sheltered area against a cliff with a rock overhanging and enough foliage to provide them with cover.
Neve moved from where her Elemental sisters lay sleeping and edged toward him. She sat down on the other side of his mate, who lay sleeping right beside him, exactly where she would always be if he had anything to do with it. “I’m pretty sure I can guess what those thoughts are. You’ve been quiet since the camp site, specifically when Olwen announced the one on one smack-down she is planning to have with her sister.”
Rohan lowered his gaze to where his mate slept beside him. “Very perceptive. Hearing that the woman I love above all is going into battle does not sit well with me. I want to protect her and fight her battles for her, but at the same time, I know this is something that she must do for herself.”
“Not to mention,” Liam’s said quietly as he entered the cave and made his way to his mate, “she is wickedly strong and a kick-ass goddess with some pretty formidable skills.” He lowered himself beside his mate, kissed her hard and fast, and then tucked her under his arm.
Rohan smiled softly, dipping his head in acknowledgment. “Yeah, well, there is that, but it sure as hell doesn’t make me feel any better. In my day, and where I come from, it was the man’s job to protect his woman, and slay her demons and dragons for her.”
Casey suddenly sat up across from them, glaring in his direction. “Fuck that! It’s no longer the days of old where the men go into battle and the women stay home, barefoot and pregnant.”
Rohan held out his hands in a placating gesture. “Casey, I know that. I do. It’s just very hard for me to risk her when I have only just gotten her back. Can you not see it from my perspective?”
“Of course she can,” Ariana added as she sat up beside her sister, reaching for her hand. “We all can. Fiona, Casey, and I had to leave our mates behind to finish this, and we know what this is doing to them at home. I don’t give a shit that we are in another realm and god knows how many miles away from our mates. I know that Ryan is standing near the Pagan Stone, willing me to walk back through that swirling vortex and into his arms. I know that because if the situation were reversed, I would be doing the exact same thing. So yes, we can all put ourselves in your shoes and see it from your perspective, but what are you going to do when we get to crunch time?”
Rohan met each of their gazes, hoping that despite the darkened room, they could see his expression. “I will stand back and let my mate do what needs to be done to end this, and if I get the chance, I am going to shred the skin off that fucker Henrick just because he deserves it. If my goddess falls”—Rohan’s voice broke on the last word, and he took a brief moment to control his emotions—“then I will rip Argon’s head from her body and bathe in the blood of any Uruheim who gets in my way. I will then do anything and everything to be with my goddess once more.”
A silence fell over them, and Rohan wondered if he had said too much.
“That sounds about right,” Liam said as he visibly tightened his hold on his mate. “It’s what any bear shifter would do. Move heaven and earth to be with the woman the Fates had gifted him with.” The rest of them all looked surprised at that.
Rohan grinned at the other man. “How did you figure that one out?”
“I know a claiming bite when I see one, and Olwen wears hers proudly, so I knew you had to be shifter.” Liam’s grin widened. “Besides, there’s no faking that grizzly scent you carry.”
Ariana laughed. “I wondered what the hell it was I could smell on you. It was the same as Liam, but different. Yay! Now I know two other bear shifters.”
“Be that as it may, I have only known what the beast inside me was for the past couple of days,” Rohan explained. “Argon and Aeron had me Turned, but shackled my beast within me so that I couldn’t shift.”
Liam grimaced. “Damn, man, seriously? Did they shackle your bear? That had to have really fucking hurt. How the hell did you get free?”
“They told me that Olwen had entered into the Otherworld and I knew that she was coming for me. They sent a squadron of elite fighters out after her. That enraged my bear to the point where he was able to break free of the hold the shackles had on him, and I was able to get free.”
“And then he found me in the forest,” Olwen added sleepily and reached a hand out to his thigh. “Come, my love, we need to rest. Tomorrow we fight. We have until sunset to get to the portal and leave this realm forever, or we will become stuck here. I don’t know about you all, but I have had about enough of this realm and Argon’s hospitality. I want to take my Captain home.”
Rohan glanced up at Liam, who held a slumbering Neve in his arms. He gave Rohan a nod, telling him that Liam would stand watch for what remained of this night. Nodding his own thanks as he slid down to lie beside his goddess, he then sighed in contentment when he pulled her against his chest and she burrowed in with her own sigh of satisfaction.
Rohan made a silent promise to himself. As soon as they were back safe and sound in the Earth realm, he would propose to his mate. He had already claimed her, but now he wanted to tie her to him in every way possible.
Chapter 10
It was a quiet group that made their way to toward Aeron’s fortress. They hadn’t encountered any of Argon’s Uruheim fighters and that made Olwen nervous.
She had expected to have encountered at least one or two squadrons patrolling the forest, but there was no sign of them.
“This all seems a little too easy,” Ariana said quietly from beside her.
Casey, who was walking ahead of them, stopped and turned, bringing the rest of the group to a halt. “I think we are all thinking that. I expected to have had a rumble or two with at least a couple of these guys by now, and now that the collar things they put on us are gone, I’m hanging out for a little revenge.”
“We’re only about a quarter-mile from the fortress,” Olwen advised. “It will not take us long to get there. We have about an hour and a half before the sun sets. If I know my sister, she will have every single one of her men guarding the gates.”
Rohan folded his arms over his chest and frowned. “If that’s correct, and I believe that it is, then we have to figure out a way to get past them without actually having to engage in combat. There are simply too many of them for us to take out before the sun sets on this day.”
Olwen nodded and made sure to keep her face clear of any emotion. She had already determined what needed to be done, but had no intention of showing her hand until it was too late for objections, and she knew there would definitely be objections to what she had planned. Around her, the Elementals and her love planned how they would eliminate the hordes of Uruheim fighters who would be standing between them and the portal. Olwen had to bite back a smile when all the plans seemed to omit her. It would seem they were all still determined to protect her above all others. This was ironic, considering what she planned and how she knew they were bound to react.
“So Rohan, Ariana, and I will shift and lead the way to the gates,” Liam summarized. “As soon as they are distracted, Casey will block as many as she can from getting to the front of the castle, and Neve will bring the rain.” The group all made murmurs of agreement.