by Lacey Thorn
A storm had landed them on these shores and with determination they had overtaken Altair and claimed both the land and the inhabitants as theirs. Too much determination and not enough gratitude had led them to the current war-torn life they lived. It was allAlea had ever known but she had heard tales of a different time, before the warriors came, when life was simpler and there was no sound of war drums in the air. Now the drums were sometimes all she could hear.
Prince Micah and his twinGodar had laid claim to a beautiful girl namedAsme . It turned out that she was the islandMahiki , or blood princess. The priestess was her mother and they were direct descendents of the goddess who ruled the Isle of Altair. And in that one moment of claiming, the prince and his warriors had called a curse upon them all. The priestess in her anger had cursed them with a vengeance to a life of war and strife. But for the love of her daughter and her people she had also left them with hope. Hope in the form of five women, born of the island,who would grow up and, once united, save them all. The curse was one that most women grew up reciting. But because of the lack of a woman’s influence inAlea’s life she had only recently learned of it when she was sent to live with her aunt, the PrincessAsme .
Because you take instead of seek
Because you cause the goddess to weep
In this take heed my words to hear
For a time of reckoning soon will near.
In five times five the Guardians will arise
Five women marked by the goddess’s eyes
Of Fire, Earth, Water and Air
Four will become the Guardians of Altair
The fifth shall ply the mystic realms
And draw them together in the Valley of Elms
When the five are united in the mystic place
Only then will the curse be lifted I place
Cursed to battle to hold what you take
This is the hand dealt you by fate
Warriors, fierce with muscles and brawn
Shall pray for the day of the Guardians to dawn
For only through them will peace come at last
The Guardians united shall atone for your past
So protect and serve when once they appear,
Or be cursed to live forever in fear.
“For if one shall die, all will be lost,”Alea murmured as she stopped to catch her breath. Vulcan circled in the air above her, as attuned to her as she was to him. There were times that they seemed almost as one.
The curse made her think ofAsme . Now there was a woman of strength and courage. She had gone from the life that she had known to one that included not one but two husbands, and had done it with a dignity that gave courage to all around her. Her legend on the island was alive and well, even among the warriors. Few would speak badly of her, most out of a deep respect. ThoughAlea was sure that for some it was more out of fear for what Prince Micah would do.Or would have done.
She shook her head. It was hard to believe that he was really gone. For the longest time Prince Micah had only been someone that others spoke of, almost more myth than man. But then her time of claiming had approached and she had been sent to her aunt and uncles to learn the things she needed to learn prior to being claimed.
It was a part of island life, an event that occurred for every woman when she reached the age of twenty-one and was deemed claimable to the island males. She could be wooed and if won through pleasure then she was bonded and branded. She would wear the seal of her husbands’ family on her lower right abdomen for all to see. The braid of her hair would give way to a ribbon, for once a woman was claimed her hair would never be bound again. She would leave her caste behind and join that of her new family.
Aleawas part of the air caste, better known as the watchers. They were the ones who resided in the mountainous areas of the island, keeping careful watch over the shores and reporting when they saw new ships coming. They would send messages through the numerous island birds that would fly into the villages carrying information for the women there. Most of those women wore the standard island female garb of long black skirts fitted at the hips with a band of lace, sandals and the veiled tops of their caste.Alea had learned what the colors meant once she had joined her aunt. Air wore white. Those who tended the fires wore red and those who dealt with the earth and all it grew wore green. The ones who took care of the water supply wore blue. And then there were the ones who cared for the sick and the animals who wore black.
Then there wasAlea who dressed more like her warrior fathers. She wore the same brown leather pants as a warrior though hers fit lower on her hips. Her top was the same style as the veiled top of the island women, tying in back of her neck and in the middle of her back but it too was made of leather. And she wore a leather guard on her arm from wrist to elbow that allowed her to hold Vulcan when he wished to be close to her. Unlike the weapons belts filled with a myriad of different things that the warriors always had on,Alea wore a pouch at her waist, filled with bits ofpalona fruit. The fruit was a dark brown on the outside but soft pink on the inside and very sweet. And Vulcan loved it. SoAlea kept some small pieces of the fruit with her at all times, not a hardship since it was so abundant on the island.
Vulcan gave a cry from the air above, jerkingAlea out of her thoughts. It was harsh and full of warning and she quickly searched the area for what Vulcan sensed. There was nothing…and then there was way too much. A man stepped out of the trees mere feet in front of her, followed quickly by another one. They were both well over seven feet tall, huge even compared to her cousins who stood seven feet even. They had shoulder-length brown hair streaked on the sides witha deep silver that seemed to catch in the sun, and she would have said that they were identical until they looked up and clashed gazes with her. One had a piercing gaze that hooked her and wouldn’t let her go. She had never seen sucha pure silver before.Except on the beak and talons of her best friend Vulcan.
As a slow smile took place on his lips another caw filled the air.Alea was poised to run when the unthinkable happened and the bird that called none friend but her landed on the arm of one of the warriors in front of her.
“You must beAlea ,” the one with the piercing gaze said and slowly headed toward her. “We’ve come a long way to find you.”
And then it hit her. These were theXandova brothers, her chosen mates. These two men would claim her and mate with her and she would belong to them. As fear took overAlea was paralyzed, unable to move or breathe. The last thing she heard was a harsh gasp as the black cloud obscuring her vision overtook her and her knees gave way. The ones she had hoped wouldn’t show were here. And they had come for her.
Chapter Two
Drew looked at his brotherSorran as their intended mate fell in a dead faint to the ground. He couldn’t reach her in time to prevent the fall and only hoped that she wasn’t hurt. She was as beautiful as they had heard with a thick fall of red hair that hung in a braid to her waist. Her eyes had appeared to be the green of moss and he couldn’t wait to see them again to be sure. She was tiny, maybe five feet eight or so, but she had the body of a woman. Her full breasts were proudly displayed in the top she wore and her hips and legs looked delectable in the warrior pants she chose to wear. Drew had never seen a woman in pants before but he liked it, liked the way she looked in them. She was beautiful and dressed like a warrior. She was indeed the fitting mate to one of the prince’s guard.
Drew andSorran had been away from their island home for a few years now. They had journeyed by boat with several other warriors of the prince’s choosing and searched for other islands, other places to find refuge and perhaps others to call allies. Instead they came home empty-handed to find chaos. Their prince was dead, killed some time in the night as they had reached the shores. If only they had been here, in place as his personal guard should have been, then maybe it wouldn’t have happened. But there were no what ifs or maybes and the prince was dead. Now theXandova , who had always been guards to the prince, would serve his sons. But first they would c
laim the woman who had been promised to them by the prince himself many years ago. Within days she would reach her twenty-first year. That gave them a mere matter of two days to woo her and hopefully win her heart. Then they would take her as theirs, and they would be hers. And united they would leave to find the one responsible for the death of their prince. That was their duty and hers once she became mate.
“Is she hurt?”Sorran’s soft-spoken words pulled Drew from his thoughts and he glanced back to see the Aqua-Phoencontent on his brother’s arm. It was daunting to see such a legendary bird of prey perched there giving the deceiving appearance of docility. The Aqua-Phoenwas thought to be extinct by most but its legend was great. The bird was magnificent in coloring with its many shades of blue. It had a wingspan of six feet when in flight and its silver beak and talons were reputed to be lethal enough to break through flesh and bone.
Drew glanced down atAlea and brushed some loose hair back from her face. “She appears to be unhurt. Just fainted though I have no idea of why.” He glanced back atSorran and laughed. “Nay, it is you I fear for, brother. You risk much with that bird on your arm.”
Sorranlaughed and confidently stroked one big hand softly down the feathered back of the bird on his arm. “He seems to like me and I choose to believe that he won’t eat me.”
Drew shook his head and grinned back atSorran . “You always did have a way with the beasts.” He glanced around. “Speaking of which, where has Caspian taken himself off to this time? And how do you think that he will react toAlea ?”
“I would worry more about how our mate will take to our pet. Caspian is not an easy beast to love.”Sorran gave a sharp whistle that pierced the air and had the woman they were both looking at jerk up to a sitting position. She barely missed clipping Drew in the jaw as he knelt over her.
“What was that?” she cried, looking around, and both men grinned.Sorran was known for his unique ability to attain and hold the piercing note of his signature whistle. It sounded more animal than man-made but always brought about the same result.
Drew knew that once againSorran’s whistle had brought Caspian to them by the wayAlea’s eyes widened as her gaze became fixed on the creature entering the glen. He couldn’t stop the smile from taking form on his lips when he realized it wasn’t fear in her eyes but something a whole lot like anticipation. And he andSorran both laughed when the beast warriors were known to fear crouched like a docile cat beside the woman they planned to mate and licked her face. AndAlea won both of their hearts when she threw her arms around his neck and laughed into his ruffled mane of hair.
Aleacaught her breath when the beast moved from between the trees behind one of theXandova warriors. He was magnificent. She had heard stories about the creature that walked with them, the wild beast that they called pet. But she hadn’t really believed the tales though she should have. After all, others thought the same of the stories of her and Vulcan. But no story could have prepared her for the power in each muscle as the lion moved toward her. He was huge, and the most beautiful creature she had ever seen.Next to Vulcan of course.
His paws were large and powerful and as he passed one of the brothers on his way toward her she was amazed to note that his head was level with the warrior’s hips and lower waist. He had to weigh a ton judging by the way his muscles rippled with each step he took. His color was a gorgeous shade of gold and his mane was every shade of gold she’d ever seen and some that she hadn’t. Yes, he was magnificent and he knew it. He stopped beside her and slowly dropped down to his belly.
He opened his mouth and surprised a giggle from her when he lapped her face with his tongue. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. It amazed her when he purred low and long, dropping his muzzle to sniff along her exposed neck.
“It seems that you have made a friend.”This from the one whom Vulcan rested so easily on.
“And you as well,” she told him, wondering at the accuracy of all the stories she had heard of these two men. Surely Vulcan would not befriend men with a blood thirst as these two were reputed to have. Then again she recalled the words of her new friend Willow whenAlea had confessed her fear of the claiming to her. Willow had told her that what and who men were in battle did not always reveal who they were with the woman they chose as mate. Maybe Willow had been right.
“What do you call him?” They both spoke at the same time andAlea felta lightness inside when he smiled at her.
“We call him Caspian,” he told her and she laughed at such a warrior’s name for the animal. But then the lion she was clinging to was indeed warrior-like.
“I call him Vulcan and he answers to it when he wishes to,” she informed him, nodding toward herfriend, and both of the men laughed softly. The husky sound washed over her skin and sent her pulse racing and moisture to settle between her thighs.
Caspian purred again, the deep rumble filling the air, and nudged her shoulder as if to bring her attention back to him. His head was twice the size of hers and the teeth she could see were sharp and wicked looking. She was very grateful that he saw her as a friend and prayed to the goddess that it would always be so.
“You are theXandova warriors.” It was a statement, not a question but one of them answered her anyway.
“Yes. I am Drew and this is my brotherSorran .” He nodded toward the one still holding and stroking Vulcan. “You know of us?”
“Yes. I’ve heard of you. You are legends on the island,” she informed them.
“Don’t believe all that you hear, little warrior. Men tend to embellish with the retelling of events.” It was Drew who spoke. “Is that all that you know of us?The stories and legends of theXandova ?”
“No,” she admitted. “I know that you are the ones whom I have been promised to. I wondered if you would come when my time of claiming arrived.”
There was a strange darkening of his eyes, turning the silver a deeper, darker shade as he looked at her. “We have waited what seems like forever for this time to arrive, for you to be ready. We would be no other place right now than here with you.”
“I’m not,” she shook her head.
“You are,” he countered and his voice was lower, huskier. He reached out and ran his fingers softly down her cheek. “There is nothing to fear from us,Alea . No matter what you have heard to the contrary we are only men. Men who wish to bring you joy and pleasure. We wish to share with you, not take from you. Will you allow us the chance to show you?”
She wondered for a brief moment what he would say if she refused but Vulcan’s caw sounded, pulling her gaze to him. An understanding passed between them and her truest friend gave his blessing on what she suddenly realized she couldn’t fight. These two warriors were meant to be her mates and though they gave her the choice to accept them everyone present knew that eventually she would be theirs anyway. They might not force her but others would try to. And she found that she could not bring shame to her fathers and her prince by running and hiding.
“Yes,” she breathed out and with that one word her future was suddenly bound to that of theXandova warriors, and theirs to her.
* * * * *
She was the one who led the way to the cavern and the hidden treasures within. There were several of these caverns around the island that provided shelter and more to the people who knew where to find them.Though the opening was small, once inside it was a large open room. One corner of the room held blankets and food while the other provided a pool of water kept naturally heated and perfect for bathing. Another smaller pool of water in the center of the room would provide plenty of fresh drinking water. It had all the comforts needed for what was coming.
Vulcan was somewhere outside the cave keeping watch over them and Caspian was lounging in the opening, ensuring that no one entered without them knowing first. The two predators should have been enemies but had somehow formed a bond. Vulcan had flown fromSorran’s arm to the lion’s back and rode there most of the way on the trek through the woods. It seemed that everything w
as perfectly aligned for their joining andAlea was slowly losing her fear.
It was hard to fear men who treated her so gently and respectfully. One walked on either side of her and she knew that it was instinctual for them to feel the need to guard and protect her in case danger neared. She barely reached their chests and guessed them to be close to seven feet eight inches, about two feet taller than she was. It was daunting to walk between them. Drew kept his hand upon the small of her back andSorran would occasionally reach out to brush a hand along her arm or side. More, she felt, to reassure himself that she was really there than anything else.
And now here she stood in a secluded shelter with them and the fear was back but with it was a sense of the rightness of what was about to happen. Yes, she was scared though it was more nerves at this point than outright fear. She had been sheltered by her fathers for most of her life and though she was aware of the mechanics of what was to happen she had never even been kissed by a warrior. First, because of where she lived in the mountains with her fathers and then because she was the niece of the Prince and Princess of Altair and her cousinswere always there to watch over her and keep any interest in her to a minimum.