Guardian (31 page)

Zillah nodded. “I’ll lead them myself.”

Turning to Ian, I matched the tone of his voice chill for chill. “You’d better keep up, Elfaery, or you’ll quickly find yourself writhing in uncontrollable pain on the ground.”

I created a wrinkle and stepped into it, still holding one of the Princess’ hands. I didn’t turn around to see if Ian made it in with us.

At the moment I didn’t really care.

Chapter
Eighteen

Packages Everywhere

T
he caves appeared to be thick with Tana’s warriors. I knew they considered Dawnia an important prisoner and didn’t intend to let her slip through their fingers. Several warriors entered the prison area in the short time we watched and dozens more wandered around the clearing at the mouth of the cave, fully armed, their jewel colored eyes sliding constantly around the area.

A few of the faery guards wore a bright green aura. I looked at Ian. “Spooks.”

He nodded, grimacing. Spooks were specially trained faeries who could see into travel layers, protecting against someone like me, or another faery, sneaking up on them.

Unfortunately for them they couldn’t see a Shade in her shadow form.

We stopped in the trees, far enough away that Zillah could step out of my layer unseen and disappear. Then Ian and I stepped out.

I looked at him. “Diversion?”

He nodded.

Ian wrapped an arm heavily around my shoulders and pulled me close. I steeled myself against the wave of lust that overwhelmed me as his scent and heat swamped my senses. I took a deep breath and forced my body to go loose, letting my curves melt into him and wrapping my arms around his waist.

“Let’s do this.” He murmured, and then he did the unforgivable, considering how mad I was at him. He placed a soft kiss on the top of my head. It wasn’t for show. We hadn’t moved into view yet. It was a message meant only for me.

I frowned hard, so I wouldn’t sigh with pleasure.

We moved out of the trees and onto the path, heading toward the caves as if we hadn’t a thought in the world except being together.

At the first sign of movement Ian dragged me to a stop and pulled me around, lowering his lips over mine. My heart stopped as the softness of his lips ignited passions that I had hoped to push far back into the impenetrable recesses of my mind.

I slid my hands down his back and grabbed his butt cheeks, pulling him closer. He happily complied, rolling his hips and pressing his hard length into my stomach. I gasped, realizing that his kisses were no more based on creating a diversion than my reaction to them was.

He pulled away slightly and grabbed my bottom lip with his teeth, nibbling gently. His full, lush mouth moved to my chin and traveled down my throat. I moaned and dropped my head back, sliding my fingers into his soft hair. Against my will my treacherous body throbbed and wept for his touch. My breath came in desperate puffs and somewhere deep inside I clenched with desperate need.

“Hey! You there!”

I was so deeply entrenched in my lust bubble it took me a few beats to react and remember,
oh yeah, this is all for show…a diversion
.

It was a hell of a diversion. It had even diverted us.

Ian lifted his lips from mine, looking down into my face for a beat before turning to address the warrior standing a few feet away from us, weapon drawn. I saw the truth of his feelings throbbing in the depth of his brown eyes and I realized, it was my call. I could either forgive him for leaving me relatively helpless, and therefore dependent on him, for whatever reason, and we could move forward together. Or I could hold on to my anger and let this moment pass for us.

I blinked. I wasn’t quite ready to make that decision.

Ian gave me a sad smile and turned away, pulling me back under his arm as if protecting me. I had no trouble forming my face into a dazed, stupid mask. I was already there, after having my mind melted by Ian’s kiss.

Ian copped a faery attitude with the guard. “What is the meaning of this intrusion?”

For just a beat, the warrior reacted to the regal tone of Ian’s voice. But he quickly shoved it off. “You must vacate this area. We have a special prisoner here and none but the queen’s warriors are allowed here.”

Ian snorted and glanced down at me. I grinned and snorted back.

“I am the queen’s most trusted advisor. You have no reason to interfere in my…pleasures…be gone with you.”

The warrior actually lifted one foot as if he would comply. But then he frowned and put a hand on his sword. “I have my orders, sir. You and your harlot must turn around and go back the way you came.”

Ian stiffened. “I wouldn’t call her that if I were you.”

I allowed all intelligence to drain from my eyes and a sultry smile to curve my lips. Moving out of Ian’s embrace I sauntered toward the stiff backed warrior. I placed a hand on his chest and leaned close until my lips were a mere breath from his ear. I could feel him vibrating under my hand. “I find authority so sexy don’t you?”

I injected enough power into his heart to drop him like a stone. He lay there twitching, his bright green eyes fluttering in their sockets. Kicking him on the hip I turned away. “Harlot my ass.”

Ian pulled the guard off the path into the trees and rejoined me on the path. “I tried to warn him.”

I was disgusted. “Why is it the woman is always the harlot but the man is just a man?”

Ian shrugged and we moved on toward the front of the caves.

We emerged into the clearing at the entranceway to the prison caves and stopped, putting surprised looks on our faces, as if we hadn’t known the prisons were there.

A couple of alert looking guards approached us. Ian kept his body loose but his hand moved closer to the handle of his sword. “What goes here?”

The guards stopped a few feet away, just outside the range of Ian’s sword. Apparently they knew who he was. “What is your purpose here, Ian Lavelle?”

Ian glanced toward the mouth of the cave just in time to see two of the guards crash together head first, and then disappear into the depths of the cave.

“I came to check on the welfare of the queen’s sister.”

The guards exchanged a look. “We know nothing of this.”

Ian shrugged. “You may check with the queen if you wish. I’ll wait here.”

The guard who had spoken nodded his head toward the other warrior and that faery took off running toward the castle.

“So how goes it with Princess Dawnia?”

I pretended to listen as the two men conversed quietly but kept one eye on the face of the cave. After a moment, I felt a drift of wind over my shoulder and heard Zillah’s voice in my ear. “I’ve got her.”

I turned to Ian. “I don’t have time for this. We can come back later, after these men have Tana’s orders to allow us in.”

Ian nodded. “So be it.”

We turned and walked briskly back down the path. “Don’t stop short Zillah.” I murmured, and was answered with a soft, disembodied giggle. When we were out of sight of the caves I opened a travel layer and stepped into it. Ian followed and Zillah pulled Dawnia into it with her, reappearing as soon as she entered the layer.

I held a finger to my lips as Dawnia opened her mouth and we turned toward the gates, moving quickly until we were through them. When we were far enough away from Tana’s kingdom to avoid her warrior guard. We stepped out of my travel layer.

I started the process of calling the Watcher as Ian and Dawnia carried on an intense, whispered conversation behind me. Zillah stood beside me, her pretty face blank and her hands clasped behind her back.

“Nice work.” I told her.

She shrugged. “Thank you, spirit sister.

While my spell to call the Watcher worked and the portal began forming in the air before my face, I glanced at Dawnia.

Her pretty face was battered, covered in purple bruises on one side and opened in a long gash on the other. Her blonde hair was matted with dirt and blood and her faery garb was tattered and filthy.

Blood coated her fingers. Probably not hers.

Apparently she hadn’t come along willingly or easily.

The Watcher’s ugly face swam into view and I wasted no time. “I have Tana’s package.” The Watcher’s beady, black eyes drifted past me and widened as he saw Dawnia. But he reached a hand through the portal without delay. “Come. I sense others nearby.”

“Ian!”

He turned at my call and grabbed Dawnia’s arm, hauling her toward me quickly. I grabbed Zillah’s hand and reached the other toward Ian. The Watcher touched my arm and we entered the portal.

Behind us I heard a shout and a knife flew into the portal. I heard a grunt of pain but then the portal winked shut behind us and we emerged into the Watcher’s cave-like home.

I looked around for the knife that had flown through the portal. Behind me the Watcher grunted and I turned, gasping.

The knife was embedded in his shoulder.

His ugly face was pale and twisted in pain.

I reached for the knife, yanking it quickly from him before he knew what I was doing. He swore at me in several languages and then fell silent as I touched his shoulder with both hands and sent healing power into the copiously bleeding wound.

A moment later the shoulder was healed enough that I stepped away. “Now you have a war wound to tell your grandwatchers about.

He glowered at me. “Ever since I’ve known you there have always been enemies at your heels, Nuria. What is it about you that draws them?”

Ian snickered and I threw him a glare.

Dawnia stepped forward. “Where am I, what is this creature?”

The Watcher’s beady eyes slid to Tana’s sister. “I am a friend of your sister’s, Princess Dawnia. You are now my guest…willing or no.”

Dawnia’s face hardened. “No friend of that bitch’s is a friend of mine.”

In a blink Ian had Dawnia dangling above the ground, his hands wrapped in the front of her tunic. Tearing sounds could be heard as the faery fabric ripped under the pressure. Dawnia’s green gaze widened.

Apparently she was beginning to realize she was outnumbered.

“You will
not
speak of your sister, the Queen of The Wood and all magical folk, again, traitor, until you remember how to respect your betters.”

“Ian!”

He turned slowly toward me, his chocolate brown gaze brittle with anger. But he lowered Dawnia back to the floor.

“Queen Tana could not bring herself to kill you, spawn of evil,” he said to her. “Though I do not understand why.”

I turned to the Watcher. “Will you be okay with her?”

The little gnome lifted a long, monkey-like arm and it held a small vial that I recognized well. “Elfaery.”

Ian turned and caught the vial handily. He gave me a sour look and twisted it open. As he dumped it down Dawnia’s throat I had a whispered conversation with the Watcher.

When Dawnia had choked down the vial, the Watcher jerked his head toward the door. “Give her a demonstration, Nuria.”

I grabbed Dawnia’s arm and pulled her through the door, walking her away from the Watcher’s dome-shaped home until she started to twitch with pain. I kept pulling her until she dropped to her knees on the ground and collapsed, writhing in pain.

I checked my nails and decided one of them needed some tending before I reached down and hauled the faery bitch to her feet.

Her face was pale and had a sheen of sweat over it when we returned to the Watcher. Seeing her, he didn’t need to ask if the point had been made.

He turned to me. “Where do you want me to drop you?”

I glanced at Ian. “Aelfdane?”

Ian nodded.

The Watcher lifted one bushy eyebrow but set his fingers to work over his scrying pool. A moment later Faerydae’s rich lands came into view. Ian moved close, placing a hand on my shoulder. I reached for Zillah’s hand.

She stepped back, shaking her head. “I must return to RiverIsle and gather my Shades for battle. We will meet again in Aldine.”

I nodded, turning to the Watcher. “You’ll give her transport?”

He nodded, rubbing his sore shoulder grumpily. Gnomes aren’t especially brave creatures.

I lifted a hand toward Zillah. “Thank you for your help. It will be an honor to fight beside my spirit sisters and brothers.”

She nodded, clasping my hand with both of hers. “We’ll meet again soon, Monad Warrior Nuria. Take care.”

I reached for the portal. As Ian and I were pulled inside, I wondered what horrors and challenges the next phase of the battle would bring. And silently prayed I’d have the strength to meet them head on.

~ ~
*
~ ~

The first thing I noticed when we entered Aelfdane was the heavy smell of magic.

The air was thick with it.