BOOK FOUR in THE GUARDIAN'S SERIES
Book One: A Guardian's Touch, Book Two: A Guardian's Love, Book Three: A Guardian's Passion
Disclaimer See Part 1
Feedback: Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, so feel free to drop a line or two at steinwillard80@gmail.com .
PART 16
Chapter 24
On the other side of the door, Leo waited nervously. The Royals were a very vigilant bunch and she knew that her presence had been detected a long time ago. She had stealthily followed the warriors from a distance until she'd seen them move in the direction of Mary's castle. Then she had backtracked to the hotel and had waited in the shadows of the restaurant for the women to move to the elevators.
She had waited for almost two hours; getting hourly feedback from her clan on how the fighting was progressing, until she was sure that the warriors were fully engaged. That was when she made her move.
She looked down at the small silver ball in her hand and stroked it lightly. Please don't fail me. Molan swore on his life that it will work. If it didn't…well then that's it. She will be dead and Molan will know eventually that they had failed. There was a soft draft in the hallway and she steeled herself for the confrontation. Two figures appeared before her and she swallowed deeply.
Her eyes widened when it fell on the women. Good heavens, they were gorgeous, she thought vaguely. She'd seen the Queen's mate from afar, but never close-up. She was left tongue-tied as she looked at the tall, statuesque blonde. The direct sapphire gaze held her spellbound for a moment before she remembered why she was there.
“Why are you here?”
The question was asked calmly, but she could feel the ripples of power coming off the blonde.
“I'm an Eternal and I wanted to request an audience with the Queen.”
“An Eternal?” The blue eyes held a look of confusion.
The beautiful, petite redhead stepped forward, her green eyes suspicious as they roamed over her.
“I've heard of your kind.” Her gaze was fixed on her, but when she spoke again it was directed at the blonde. “Many centuries ago Lecrac decided to inject fresh blood into the Royal Race, but some of the newly-made Royals had trouble controlling their bloodlust. A group of them went on a rampage and attacked a small village in Greece. Lecrac, Tahlia, Pierre, Paloma and Jonas arrived just in time to stop the massacre. They managed to save a hundred of the fallen, turning them into vampires.” The green eyes narrowed. “They were called the Eternals, a hundred warriors; part Royal, but not fully Royal. They were never to convert another being and had to ensure that their number stay consistent; exactly one hundred, no more and no less.”
Leo smiled, impressed. Not many knew of their existence. The redhead must be a high ranking Royal Clan member for her to be privy to such information.
“You are correct, milady,” Leo answered politely.
“Your clan shun the spotlight, what made you wander this far, Eternal?” The green eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“ We have had a few fatalities of late at the hands of Mary and her army. We wish to call upon the Queen's wisdom.” Good comeback Leo, she praised herself, although not everything was a lie. They did lose a few warriors to Mary's army.
“Does she know you left your village?”
“No, I doubt if she knows.”
The door suddenly opened and a beautiful human female stepped out. She raised a sable eyebrow. This must be the daughter. She'd heard about the Royal couple's daughter, but had never seen her before. Two more women appeared behind her, both human. This is really getting complicated now, she mussed. She had to act before the opportunity was lost.
“Mother, what …?” the brunette asked softly and the blonde quickly stepped towards her daughter, as if to shield her from Leo's eyes.
Leo swallowed and fingered the ball again. Molan promised it would work. Time to put it to the test. She crushed the ball between her fingers and dropped it to the carpeted floor. A brilliant light engulfed the hallway, blinding them all, but not before Leo saw the rage in the sapphire eyes. Then darkness enveloped her.
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Tahlia roared, enraged, as she flung the guard away from her. Jemima! She glanced over at Pierre and Paloma and saw the alarm in the eyes of both warriors. They had felt it too. Something had happened. She turned to Pierre.
“I will go immediately.” His voice was still echoing although his body had already dissolved.
Paloma nodded at the silent question in Tahlia's eyes. Yes, duty comes first… unfortunately. This was their only chance to destroy Mary. Both turned back as a new wave of renegades descended on them.
<Beloved?>
No answer.
<Please tell me you are safe, Jemima.>
Still no answer. Her heart pumping erratically at her inability to make a connection with her wife, she felt the beast rearing inside, clawing desperately at her insides. With her control slipping, so did all rational thought and she let the beast free. Her transformation was fast, the beast eager to vent its rage and fear. The huge black wolf charged into the throng of renegades, tearing and snapping bones as it ploughed through the enemy.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Paloma was shaking with fear as she flashed her sword. Her body automatically going through the deadly motions, but her mind was screaming desperately for her wife.
<What's happening, Inger?>
The silence echoed loud in her mind.
<Please answer me, my love. What is happening to you?>
Silence.
A long red tear streaked down her cheek as she cut through the enemy lines. She has never been this scared in her all of her two thousand year existence.
<We will find them, my friend. We will find them. This I promise you.> Tahlia's voice rang through her mind.
Tahlia has never made a promise she didn't keep. Paloma's only fear was not finding them but being in time to save them. She made a quick head count and noted that only a few renegades remained. But with Mary still alive the battle was far from over. Finding it difficult to remain in her human form, battered by anxiety and thoughts of her wife, she too called her beast to the surface.
The beast was an even faster killer, merciless and vengeful. The two beasts quickly dealt with the remaining guards and simultaneously made a run for the entrance to the castle. Time was against them.
***********************************
Clarissa wiped her bloody sword on the body of the last guard she had just felled and turned to find Jonas staring back at her, his face pale.
“Something happened to the women. Pierre went to investigate.”
Clarissa felt her heart clench in fear at the news. Jessica! They were all together. She quickly established a mental link, her heart beating wildly in her chest.
<Talk to me, my baby. Please talk to me.>
When there was no immediate response, she turned back to Jonas. If anything, Jonas never panicked. He was always optimistic and believed firmly in the power of the Royal Clan. But the look of sheer panic on his face made her fall to her knees.
“This cannot be happening. I've just met her,” Clarissa gasped, the pain in her chest so great, it paralyzed her arm, making her drop the heavy sword. “I…I am not capable of living without her.”
Jonas came over to where she sat, dejected, but before he had reached her, a faint sound caught his attention. Clarissa heard the sound too and quickly lifted her head, just in time to see two fast moving arrows coming directly at her chest. There was a sudden blur and she felt herself sliding across the cold tile floor until she crashed against the wall. She quickly jumped to her feet, alert and ready for battle. She scanned the long dark corridor and glanced at Jonas. He stood there, his back turned to her and she sighed in relief at finding him unhurt. The next moment his knees buckled and his huge frame crumbled to the floor.
“Jonas!!!” She rushed over to his side and gently turned him over. She gasped when she saw the two protruding arrows in his chest. They were lodged high in his chest. His eyes were still alert as they looked at her.
“They are nearby. Do not be concerned about me. As a Royal your duty comes first.” He closed his eyes for a second. “Find them and destroy them. This is your chance at salvation, sister. Go now.”
“I can not leave you like this, my brother.” A sob escaped her. She had possibly already lost Jessica; she just can't lose Jonas too. He was her family. He was all she could truly call her own.
“You have a bigger family than just me, sister. Go make me proud. Find them and take your revenge.” He reached out a hand and took hers in a steely grasp. “Go now. It is an order and I am still your Prince.”
She nodded and walked over to where her sword lay.
“Please be alive when I get back, brother. I refuse to lose you too.”
Jonas smiled faintly at her and nodded. “Go now.”
Her senses on high alert, she slowly scanned the hallway, probing every nook until she was sure that nobody lay in wait for her. Not familiar with the layout of the castle, she slowly made her way down the hallway. Her whole body vibrated with anticipation, making her skin highly sensitive to any little movement or change in the air around her. She suddenly felt burning eyes on her and quickly turned looking back to where Jonas was lying. Standing over his prone figure were two huge wolves, one midnight black and the other as white as snow.
<Go, sister. Paloma and Tahlia are here now.>
Ah, the Calvary has arrived. She turned back and ducked just in time to see a blade flashing before her. She quickly dropped to one knee, at the same time bringing her sword up in a powerful flick. There was a hiss of pain and her assailant stepped back into the shadows. She was just about to pursue the faceless assailant when the door at the far end of the hallway burst open and Trinity stormed through. They made eye contact for a moment, before the redhead turned back and fired off a round of bullets felling four guards.
In the short moment that their eyes had met, Clarissa had seen the same desperate look in the green eyes, which she was sure was reflected in her own eyes. It was obvious that Gabriella was also prominent in the slayer's mind.
She carefully stepped into the dark shadows which had swallowed her attacker, her eyes and ears tuned in finely for any movement or sound. She felt a soft draft coming over her skin and she quickly stepped behind a pillar, cloaking her presence. When nothing happened, but the breeze still blew lightly over her, she began to slide sideways against the wall, penetrating the darkness. There was an opening somewhere, she thought as her eyes pierced darkness. She finally saw it. A small hidden opening between the pillars. This must have been the entrance the first wave of guards came through. No wonder it looked like they appeared out of nowhere. Mary was a great strategist.
With her senses ultra sensitive, she slipped through the opening and came to an abrupt halt. A cluster of memories and thoughts raced through her mind. She knew this part of the castle. These steps led to the cellar. The place where she'd spent four hundred years in captivity. She had never been allowed in any other parts of the castle, but she remembered this area clearly from that night she had escaped almost four years ago. She had used the other exit leading to the servant quarters then.
“Feels like home, doesn't it?” A voice said suddenly and she felt the hair on the back of her neck rise. She was so overwhelmed by the familiarity of this place and its memories that she had forgot that she was hunting a cunning enemy. She heard the faint sound of a sharp blade cutting through air and in her mind she envisioned the sharp blade coming towards her. Using preternatural speed, she whirled around, sidestepping the blade which came dangerously close to splitting her in two.
Her eyes locked with those of Geoff before she pushed her hand into his chest cavity, going straight for his heart. She saw the fear in her former jailer's eyes as he realized that his end was eminent. Clarissa felt her hand curled around the warm organ as it thumped rapidly in her palm.
She slowly pulled her hand back as in her mind's eye she saw the terrified, pleading servants pushed into the cage towards their deaths. She saw herself, a cadaverous creature, starved within an inch of its life, pouncing on them, ripping into them one by one while the others trembled in fear as they a awaited their turn. To this moment she could still taste their fear, hear their pleas, their screams echoing in her mind. A silent tear trailed down her cheek. To all of you, who had to die so the monster could live, rest in peace. Your senseless deaths have been avenged. With that she snatched her hand out of the renegade's chest. Mid-air, his sword dropped out of boneless fingers, clattering to the floor.
“This is for all the innocents you have led to their deaths. Now their souls can seek eternal peace.” Visualizing a flame, she tossed the heart away from her, watching as it burst into flames. Soundlessly Geoff crumbled to floor in a heap.
She felt a soft prickle on her skin and she turned, but not before she felt a sharp, burning sensation in her side. Her movements were slightly hindered by the searing sensation in her side, but she still managed push her sword forward so fast that even Mary, who stood very close to her, blinked at the sudden action. The renegade leader's face held a stunned look, as she looked down at the sword which was buried up to its hilt in her stomach. Capitalizing on Mary's frozen state; Clarissa quickly stepped closer and buried her fangs deep into the renegade's neck. Mary was the last one of the council, but she was still a great source of information. It would only serve their purpose to know what the renegades were planning up now.
As Mary's blood seeped into her system, Clarissa accessed a crypt of immeasurable information. Some of the things she found out made her realize just how crucial it was that Mary should not at any cost be allowed to live a moment longer than necessary. Once she was sure she had all the information she needed and had locked it away safely, she stepped back from Mary and looked into her dazed eyes.
“Greet Tristan for me when you see him in hell.” With that she jerked her sword upwards and cleaved Mary in two, thus bringing an end to the bloody reign of Mary Huntington. She stepped away from the bloody mass at her feet.
Jonas and Jessica!
She made a mad dash to where she'd left Jonas. Trinity stood there waiting for her.
“The others left a few minutes ago. We have to get back to the hotel.”
They both dissolved and streaked out of the castle. Outside they found a clean-up team from the agency already busy disposing of the bodies scattered in the garden.
************************************
Molan was struggling to breathe, but still the pressure on his throat didn't let up. Tiny stars were exploding before his eyes, but still the pressure didn't let up. He forced his eyes open and shivered at the rage he saw in the ice-blue depths of the warrior.
“I…If you…let me go…I could…try and see …what went wrong,” he forced through a bruised throat, trying to coax the warrior into freeing him.
“It's too late, old man. You have just signed my death warrant.”
Molan shook his head slowly and clawed at the vice-like grip around his neck. The warrior was huge and incredibly strong and she had him by the neck, his feet dangling at least a meter from the floor. He can understand her rage. He, himself, almost fainted from shock when they all appeared in his chamber as opposed to the Queen's mate alone. Gellar, his old friend had sworn to him that the crystal would work and he had trusted him, never doubting him. Now he had to pay the price for trusting his friend unreservedly. How he regret now the promise he had made in seeing the prophecy fulfilled.
About two centuries ago, he was called to the deathbed of his long-time friend. Saddened by his friend's pending death, he had rushed to Gellar's side. In between painful bouts of coughs, Gellar had told him about the curse of the Outlander race, a noble but fast fading race. In his 900 years of existence, he had heard of the Outlanders but had never actually met one. Thus, when Gellar mentioned the elusive race, he was captivated. Then the prophecy followed. Though enthusiastic about the tale, he was still skeptic about what he had heard. But when Gellar handed him the crystal, he had pledge his word and life to ensure the execution of the prophecy.
Hopefully all was not lost. All he had to do was convince Leo to spare his life so that he can save the situation and both their lives. Time was of the essence here. The cosmos have granted them this slight widow to achieve their goal; the thirteenth hour as was stipulated in the prophecy.
“Killing him will not buy you time, you know.” A cool voice said suddenly and both Molan and Leo turned to the owner of the voice.
Standing with her hands on her hips, her eyes blazing with fury, Jemima glared at them. Upon their appearance in his chamber, Molan at least had the presence of mind to quickly cast a blocking spell to prevent the Royal vampiress from contacting their mates. Now they were held captive in an impenetrable, but invisible cage.
When the woman had spoken up, Leo's grip had loosened and grateful for the distraction, Molan quickly slipped out of the warrior's grip. Leo glanced at him and he could see that she was debating whether or not to finish what she had started or whether to pay attention to the irate Royal. The ice-blue eyes dulled slightly and Molan was relieved and a little worried by the warrior's sudden change in posture. Gone was the confident, almost arrogant posture that he was so used to. The warrior's massive shoulder drooped and she walked over to the chair and threw herself into it, staring into space.
Molan carefully made his way over to Jemima and smiled warmly.
“Milady, we apologize for the inconvenience, but we promise to return you all as soon as we are done here.”
“I have no idea what you are planning to do with us, but you should know that you have brought the wrath of our mates upon your heads.” This time it was the redheaded vampiress who spoke, her green eyes holding a look of pure rage.
“Mates?”
“Yes, mates as in more than one.”
Out of the corner of his eye Molan saw Leo slowly come to her feet. She stepped closer, her gaze intense as she looked at the group of women.
“When you say mates, who are you referring to exactly?” Leo asked slowly. Her ice blue eyes were dark as she studied the group of women.
The redhead smirked suddenly and Molan couldn't help but feel a slight shiver run down his spine. This didn't sound good. Not good at all. The Queen alone was a deadly prospect, but if more Royals were involved then …Dear heavens, he didn't know if he would be able to save Leo and himself.
“My mate is Pierre Lafayette. Amongst the humans you have the mate of the Assassin and…” She didn't get to finish her sentence, because Leo threw her hands up and turned to Molan.
“That's it, old man . I will kill you with my bare hands.” She stepped closer to him and Molan quickly held up his hands.
“No, wait, Warrior.” He took a deep breath . “We both knew it was a perilous mission. Our only chance now is to finish what we have started.”
The hulking Eternal turned away from him and walked over to the chair. This time she picked it up and threw it across the chamber.
“Do what you must then. I just hope that it works, because if not, our deaths would have been senseless.”