Jari and Egan caught my hands and put me between them as we followed Yunez. This man was important to Yunez. From the reactions of the Mannos, I’d say he was one of their own. Restless energy zipped through me as I thought about the possible ways he could have been injured. This feeling reminded me of a time when I had attended a funeral for a math teacher at school. I never knew her, but the emotions of her loved ones leaked into me, bringing this faux sadness to the surface. It wasn’t pretend per se, but it wasn’t all directly mine. That was how I felt now. I couldn’t feel real sadness for him outside of compassion, but Yunez’s emotions and that of the Mannos was affecting me.
We passed staff carrying sheets and trays through the halls, and when they noticed our odd party racing toward them, they would duck into another hall or room. Yunez was never more than five steps from Wen and Kedo.
A plain wooden door with simple lily carvings on two of the corners appeared before us, and I rushed forward to open it for the two men. I stood back as far as I could to allow them to pass. Neither Wen or Kedo were small men, and the injured man might even be bigger. Jari waved a hand, and the lanterns decorating the suite burst into life, guiding Wen and Kedo to his bedroom.
Ever so gently, they positioned the man on the bed.
“That is all for now, brothers. I will call for you if you are needed.” Yunez said distractedly and bent forward, laying a strong hand over the man’s forehead as he closed his eyes.
“Yes, Yunez,” they said simultaneously and a little creepily, before bowing and exiting. The door closed softly behind them, boxing us in with the anxiety pouring out of Yunez.
“What’s wrong with Ado?” Rand stepped up behind him, peering down at the man with concern and tenderness. So that’s one question answered. Rand knew who this was, and apparently also very fond of him.
“I am trying to check his damage and jumpstart his healing. Can you see his memories? Whatever is blocking me from seeing the movements of the Shadow Society is also trying to hide his memories. There is a similar signature attached to them that seems so obvious now. They definitely have a blocker, and he is strong. See if he is blocking everyone, or if they are focusing on just me.” His other hand went to the man’s stomach, moving over his clothes without touching.
Rand knelt down and smoothed bloody strands of golden hair back from a high forehead. He closed his eyes and bowed his head. I leaned forward in anticipation. The fuck?
Rand and Yunez could see memories? Like Lavi?
Nato crowded my back, probably in an effort to get a better look. I would have sent him a glare for encroaching on my personal bubble, but I was just as mesmerized by what was happening.
“Nothing, I can’t even get a glimpse of what he had for lunch.”
Ado’s breathing turned ragged, and his face lost most of its color.
“Damn,” Yunez swore and pressed both hands to his chest. “We are losing him. Rand, go get the strongest Caen and Zien members from the hall. Hurry. Something is wrong, and I cannot do it on my own.”
Whoa. Yunez needed help? He was invincible, and even if he had a slight handicap in his sight right now, no one really believed he wouldn’t soon figure out a way around it.
“Nato, take everyone back to the suite. I will come get you as soon as Ado is stable.” If they could stabilize him was unspoken.
There were no questions, Nato snatched my arm and started toward the door.
“Wait. We should stay and help.” I tried to stand my ground, but Nato was too strong. The guys didn’t help, pushing us forward toward the door.
“There’s nothing we can do, Issy girl. We’d only be in the way. Let Yunez handle it with the Mannos, he won’t leave us out for too long. He needs you just like we do.” Egan traced the curve of my ear and gave me a small push.
Fine. They wanted to hide in our suite? Whatever.
An intimidating group of men were headed straight for us when I glanced up. I vaguely recognized them from the hall. They wore white linen, pristine shirts and pants, three golden suns stitched over their hearts. I expected them to move to the side to allow us to pass. When it was clear they weren’t going to do that, I tried to tug Nato over to the side, but damn it, he was too strong and heavy for me to do more than annoy him.
The men stopped and fanned out, blocking the hallway. As one, they half-bowed, holding the pose for several seconds before straightening. The man who was front and center stood first, stepping forward to clasp my hand. The guys around me stiffened but didn’t stop him. Kudos for them; I bet their jealous spidey senses were going wild.
“Mazza. I am Doru. I have been one of Yunez’s closest friends and commanders for the last three hundred years. I am so honored to meet you,” his gruff voice rumbled so deep, I wouldn’t be surprised if the mountains shook. One by one, the men straightened behind him.
“It’s nice to meet you Doru. Please, call me Iss, or Issy.” I gripped his hand for a second, then pulled back. I couldn’t lie, the contact was weirding me out.
He stepped back to allow the next man to step forward. “This is Batse, he has served Yunez for the last one hundred and fifty years.” I shook his hand and be brought mine to his lips for a kiss, giving a playful wink before he stepped back.
A familiar weight molded to my back and vibrated with a silent growl. At least Egan was trying to contain it. I grinned and accidentally encouraged Batse because he returned the smile and edged closer. At least until Doru fisted the back of his shirt and jerked him away.
“Please forgive Batse. He’s the worst flirt. It has never bothered Yunez before, but I think he’d feel very differently about him exercising his charms on you.” He gave Batse a warning glare. He wasn’t the only one. I glanced around, and all the guys wore badass death glares, solely aimed at Batse. He just grinned and shrugged, moving out the way for the next man.
“This is Carlo, and he has been with us the longest. A hearty two hundred and seventy-two years. He is like a brother to me.” With a stern face and stiff body, he clasped my hand in both of his and dipped his forehead to our hands, then he was moving aside for the next.
“Dein, our baby commander of twenty years,” he smiled shyly, but his lithe body and innate grace left no doubt that he could and would be lethal if the need arose.
“And lastly, Sims. He is Yunez’s closest friend among the commanders and also a relative.” Sims walked up with a gait that reminded me of Yunez, although that’s where the resemblance stopped. He was a golden blond-haired, blue-eyed beauty. He must be a distant relative. His cousin Jan looked like a knock off version of Yunez, so maybe he was a first cousin?
“We wanted to check on Ado, and see if we could assist Yunez. We have already set extra patrols around the estate, but all is quiet.” Doru edged around the others until he was directly in front of us.
“I don’t think there’s anything we can do. Rand went to get the strongest Caen and Zien members,” I reached out and grabbed Sage’s hand. Call me a baby, but contact in tense situations just made me feel better. Safer.
Sage let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around my back, fitting me perfectly into his side. “We are on our way back to our rooms until there’s something we can do.”
Doru nodded. “Rand will be looking for the best healers and mind welders among us. That is not us, we are the strategists, the strength in the bones of his forces. Let us accompany you to your rooms.” It wasn’t a question, and the commanders immediately created a loose circle around us, waiting.
Like mannequins, we froze. For me, I was momentarily surprised. What harm would it do? These guys were clearly in the circle of trust since they were inside his castle. “Sure, that would be okay.” I waited for Nato to send some kind of sign if he wasn’t okay with it, but he shrugged. All right, I guess we were good to go then.
Doru led the way, and even though he was relaxed, he constantly moved his focus over every entrance to the hallway, most likely in search of a faceless threat.
We
moved in silence, and once we reached our wing, the halls were completely empty. Yunez must really value his privacy because his people seemed to know not to venture this way unless they had a reason.
Sage touched the knob, and if it wasn’t so quiet I wouldn’t have heard the snick to unlock the door. I turned to thank our escort, but stern and serious Carlo tipped his head toward the suite.
“We would be honored to wait with you and get to know the Mazza that will lead us to victory.”
Ah man. Not this. I didn’t mind spending some time with Yunez’s besties, but if they were going to spout this kind of stuff, I’d have to hard pass.
Jari smirked when he saw my grimace. “Sure, but no talk of the future or Iss being the Mazza. She’s shy.”
Nato barked a laugh but held the door open for all of us to pass.
“My apologies, my lady. I merely want to show you the respect you are due.” Carlo said as soon as we were all inside.
“With manners like that, I’d think you spent some time with Rand.” My first meeting with Rand had been formal, and he’d even called me my lady a time or two.
Light shined on the room with Carlo’s beaming smile. It was definitely a look of pride. “Rand was under my tutelage for many years. As Yunez’s closest friend, he would trust his training to no one else.”
That was so sweet. I could imagine a gangly teenager soaking up all the lessons on not only the house powers, but manners from this guy. Warm and fuzzy bunnies wrapped around my heart. Rand sure didn’t get anything close to loving from his own dad. Good for him that he had a small network of men to guide and care for him. Anyone looking at Carlo could see the love and affection he held for Rand.
“Well, what now?” I raised my hands and turned in a circle. There were a lot of men here; I couldn’t see them all from without moving around.
“I know!” Batse piped in. “We could play a game.”
Doru sighed. “I don’t think anyone is in the right mind frame to play a game right now. Especially not until we know Ado is well.”
Batse’s face screwed up in something like regret. “Let’s just sit down. Get to know each other.”
The door to the suite nearly crumbled under the force of several violent knocks. “Nato. Isolde. It’s us.” Mehki called.
Egan let Ralina, Cabbie, Mehki, and surprisingly Jan inside the suite.
“Come sit down. We were about to settle in and wait for Yunez to come get us.” I said as I headed for the chair. It was so fluffy and soft, I needed it in my life right now.
Nato blew right by me and plopped down before I even got close. He smiled and patted his lap. I rolled my eyes and joined him.
Everyone found a seat or settled on the floor, except for Ralina. She stood awkwardly in the corner with her arms crossed. She wasn’t hostile, so much as unsure. This was a different world than what she was used to with Rainer. As one of Yunez’s inside sources, I would have thought she’d be a little more familiar with his real self. But it seemed Rand was the only one fortunate enough for that.
“Come join us, Ralina.” Doru stood from his spot on the couch and took a seat next to Carlo on the floor. The prickly girl from the lodge was gone as she hesitantly took the space between Batse and Sims.
“So… Are you guys all Mannos?” This was why I never dated. Small talk was hard. My random hookups with Brody were more than enough to satisfy my human touch. Until I met the guys that was, and realized how lonely I had been.
The commanders shared a look, not secret, but definitely trying to figure out what to tell us. And I didn’t like that.
Doru, as the leader, finally answered. “Yes, we are all Mannos, Yunez saved us as children, and we’ve been with him ever since.”
Succinct and leaving no room to dig. But I wasn’t easily called off, not when information was a currency that could save lives. “So who is Ado? I haven’t ever heard Yunez speak of him before,” I leaned against Nato and sighed when he buried his face in my neck. I really was addicted to their touch.
Doru brought a knee up to drape his arm over. “He is an old friend of Yunez’s. Almost as old. Before you ask, also a Manno.”
“That’s cool,” awkward answer. “Is he part of Yunez’s army?”
Amusement curled the edges of Doru’s lips, but the others tried to hide their smiles. “We aren’t really an army.”
“Aren’t we?” Batse snickered. “We are the Three Suns. The brotherhood. But we are also thousands of men strong who train every day and carry out secret missions he assigns us. I’d say we are an army.”
“A damn fine one, too.” Cabbie winked at Batse, pulling a laughing flush from the flirt.
Mehki drummed his fingers nervously over his knee. Finally, he lifted his head and locked gazes with me. “Why are we pretending nothing’s wrong? Something happened that was strong enough to shake Yunez, and we’re sitting here playing twenty questions.”
I gulped. That truth was a little close to home. “It’s not that we don’t care. There’s nothing for us to do. So, we’re trying to keep our spirits up while waiting.”
“Not good enough,” Mehki shook his head, “Not nearly good enough. No matter what, we need to be stronger. Let’s train.”
“Oh… that sounds like fun. What do you say, doll? The Cherries would love to join us too.” Cabbie sprung to a standing position without even messing up a single hair. Lucky fucker with all his grace and style, neither of which I was blessed with.
Dein stretched when he got to his feet, a soft energy infusing his stern demeanor. “That’s a great idea. We can put them through our assessment. Yunez never could be the heavy hand to get the most out of the men. He is too softhearted.”
Yunez, the man who drilled us nonstop for the last two weeks was soft hearted? I had one word to that.
Fuck.
“Sure, he’s as soft as a metal spur in the anus,” Sage said under his breath.
The funny thing was, the guys all agreed with him, nodding their heads, not a smile in sight.
“We’re seriously doing this?” I didn’t want to do this.
“Yes.” Doru headed toward the door, throwing it open. “Now that the idea has been thrown out, that is the perfect way to spend our time preparing.”
Jari started toward our private courtyard.
“No,” Doru’s voice was steel. “In the Manno training yard. You need to integrate with your people. We know how long you have been here as we are Yunez’s commanders, but he’s been coddling you too much. If you aren’t pushed, you won’t progress. The others don’t know, or they would be disappointed you have avoided them.”
Jari slid me a side eye. “Yeah… but you’ve never seen Isolde train. It’s not pretty, or liable to inspire the men.”
I covered my face with my hands. Why me? If fate knew all along I was going to be the bringer of great change, why didn’t it make me more badass? A very bad feeling hovered over me. Not the instinctive or precognitive bad feeling, more like a this is going to be so embarrassing feeling.
“That’s okay, I’ll grab the Cherries and the nipple clamp nunchucks. Isolde can whoop anyone’s fine ass with those.”
I was glad I hadn’t lifted my head yet. It had to be fifty shades of embarrassed. Choked sounds echoed around the room.
“Nipple…” One of the commanders said. Without looking, I had no idea who actually said it.
“Don’t ask,” was muffled by my sweaty hands. When I was on the edge of being super nervous, my hands would sweat. It had to be one of the grossest tells out there, not to mention dangerous in battle.
Doru pulled my hands down. A look of kindness suffused his face, “No one expects you to be the perfect weapon; not yet. What you may not realize, is that even though we are all Mannos, training did not come easy. It took hard work and many mistakes. We set up some of the trainings so no warrior succeeds. To understand the meaning of success, they must first understand how to fail. Once you know how to fail, you learn what it takes to win.
If the Mannos see you fail today, then succeed tomorrow, it will only make them respect you more.”
Sims walked over to us. “It’s true, they will see the journey of your strength and skill, and see a fighter in you; not only a fighter but a survivor.”
Okay, I could see why these guys were the leaders of the army. They could motivate someone with barely a twitch of their eyelids.
“All right, let’s go show the Mannos how good I am at failing. I’ll save the nipple clamp nunchucks for last, so I don’t intimidate them too bad.”
Laughter rang through the room, even Ralina let out a girly giggle. And man, was that weird, she wasn’t the giggling type.
I marched behind Doru with my head held high. The farther we got from our suite, the more people we passed. By the time we reached the training yard, my stomach was sitting in my throat. Why did I agree to this again? Oh yeah, I was supposed to save the world, and if I didn’t find something I was good at, that would keep me and my Lusty Legion safe, I was going to get my ass annihilated. And who knew if I would be alive after that happened.
Hundreds of men were scattered over the yard. Some were at archery stands, some were fighting with wicked looking swords in a ring of people. Dance battle? Nope; it was a sword battle, and they were constantly tagging others to take their place.
My LL puffed up their chests and adopted an ass kicker face. In an imitation to do the same, I squared my shoulders and narrowed my eyes.
“Doll,” Cabbie saddled up next to me, bending as much as possible, and speaking out of the side of his mouth, very incognito. “You look like Zoolander, I don’t think it’s a good look for the training yard if you know what I mean,” Batse and Dein covered their mouths with their hands and gave me their back. Jari and Nato just laughed openly, slapping each other on the back. They got next to none of my pop culture references, but they all knew Zoolander?
Bastards. My cheeks burned like molten lava running underneath the skin.
“Whatever, I was trying to be all badass for these Mannos. From your expressions, the Zoolander look is not intimidating; I’ll keep working on it.”
Secrets of the Mazza: A Paranormal Romance (Mazza Series Book 3) Page 15
