Black Ruins Falls

by Karen DuBose

  “I know you can understand me. I just wish you could communicate back to me. Don’t leave her side for anything. Not even to protect me or anyone else.”

  “I can communicate with you. I chose not to. I had to make sure you were worth it. I will protect her and her only. Sorry to say this but I could care less about the others. She is the only reason I am here. Whatever keeps her safe and happy is what I will do.”

  I stand there with my jaw wide open. That little ass of a dragon. It takes everything in me not to go off on him, but he has a point. He is here for her and her only.

  “Thank you.”

  If I say any more than that, I will go off on the little jerk. How dare he not tell me he could communicate with me? I’m her mother for source sake. How could he say he needed to make sure I was worthy?

  I storm off away from him with Kiernan on my tail.

  “What just happened?”

  I whip around to face him. “Are you telling me he didn’t communicate with you?”

  His brows frown together. “Um, no. He can communicate?”

  I nod my head and tell him what he said. I can see the anger lines form on his forehead.

  “Don’t. He is right. He is here for her. Not any of us. Maybe one day he will see we aren’t all bad.”

  I walk up to him and gaze at our sleeping daughter. She has so many people here to protect her and we will all die to save her. I place a gentle kiss on her head.

  “I’m sorry you were born in a world of hate. I will do my best to make this world a place you can be proud to live in again.”

  Kiernan pulls me to his side. I wrap my arms around his waist. I just hope I can do it. I really want to.

  “You will, Love. You will make this world good again.”

  I cuddle closer to him. “Did you think they would all find mates in all of this?”

  I need to get my mind off it all. I need to keep happiness close to my heart to get me through this.

  “I didn’t think so no. I’m glad they did. You know they have been waiting for you to be able to be there for the ceremonies. Why don’t we do that before we get deeper in this? They deserve to be mated to each other.”

  I lift my head to look up at him. “You’re right. How could I not have guessed that? The moon is almost too its peak. We need to hurry. I can at least bring them some happiness.”

  I dart over to my mom and tell her what I want and she agrees. Now, I just need to gather all of the soon to be mated couples.

  “I need everyone’s attention!”

  They gather around me in a circle. “I want those who wish to be mated tonight to step forward.”

  It doesn’t take long for six of the couples to step forward. I look to where my mom is and she is making six circles for each of them.

  “Turn around.”

  Everyone does and I hear sobs from some of the women. I walk up to them and take their hands.

  “I would never deny you the happiness you deserve. Now let’s get you all mated.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  I watch as the six couples step inside the circles. My heart swells with happiness. My mom performs the ceremonies. I walk to each circle and close them as she instructs.

  “Dariya! We want you to perform the ceremonies with your mom. Bless us all.”

  My heart swells at their request. I keep my head down to finish closing the circles. If I look at them I will definitely cry. When I’m done, I have no choice but to address them.

  “It would be an honor to bless you all and take part in the ceremonies.”

  Walking over to my mom, she holds out her hand to me. The smile that caresses her face is stunning. I smile back at her and grab her hand.

  “Are you ready to begin?”

  The joy that courses through me makes me feel like I’m soaring.

  “Yes, I’m beyond ready to give them happiness.”

  She nods her head and turns back to them.

  “This is going to be a lot different than before. Since there are so many of you doing it at the same time. I will be performing a group ceremony instead of an individual.”

  She looks out at each of them. “I will call out your names and you will repeat after me.”

  Walking down to the first couple to our right, I stand before them. Trying my hardest not to cry. The joy and happiness I feel for each of them is almost too much.

  I turn to my mom. “I would like to do the first one if you don’t mind.”

  She nods her head and gives me space.

  “Brice and Clover! Do you come to this circle with love in your heart and an honest soul?”

  “I do!” They say together.

  I couldn’t keep the tears from falling no matter how hard I tried. I want to hug them, but I knew I couldn’t. I would break the circle. I nod at them instead.

  “Will you both face the east.”

  “Guardians of the East and the Source above. I summons you to witness these rites and guard this circle and both Brice and Clover from here to death. Keep their hearts and souls protected.”

  I watch as they both turn like they are attached to each other. Moving as one to the south.

  “Guardians of the south and the Source above. I do summon, stir and call up to you and the Source to witness the rites and guard this circle and both Brice and Clover from here to death. Keep their love safe and protected.”

  I didn’t have to say for them to face the west. It’s like their bodies moved on their own.

  “Guardians for the west and the Source above. I do summon, I stir and call upon you and the Source to witness the rites and guide their spirits to one another and wrap them in a blanket of love.”

  I can feel the power from the guardians and the Source. It fills me with love and understanding.

  “Guardians of the north and the Source above, I do summon you and the Source to witness these rites and guide them in their lives together from here on out.”

  Once the words leave my mouth the circle closes the rest of the way. On its own.

  “All around, I welcome the powers of above, the powers below and the powers of the source. Brice and Clover, this is the time to say your vows to each other.”

  Brice hasn’t taken his eyes off Clover. He takes her left hand and brings it to his lips and places a soft kiss on her knuckles.

  “Clover, I take you my heart, at the rising of the moon and the setting of the stars. To love and to honor you through all that may come. Through all our lifecycles together. In all our lifecycle, may we be reborn that we may meet and know and love again, and remember. I promise to love, cherish, and honor you as my mate. I promise to make you happy and feel loved until our dying day.”

  I watch as the tears streak down Clovers face. I have tears of my own. Who would have thought the angry and bitter man that stands before me could change so much and learn to love as deep as he does right now?

  “Brice, I pledge to you to be your mate, to keep you happy, loved, and cherished. To comfort you and be your strength when you need it. I promise to share hopes, thoughts, and dreams as we build this lifecycle together. May you always know and feel the love I have for you until death.”

  It takes everything in me not to ball at the love I see shine through them. I don’t know how I’m going to last five more.

  I clear my throat to get their attention. “Since you didn’t have time to write the vows. Mom did it for you as you said them.” I hand them two pieces of paper and a lighting device. “I need you both to light them on fire and place them at your feet while repeating after me.”

  “From the Source above I give you the gifts of our words and hearts. From this day forward, we will love only each other and never stray from this love. If we do, we give you permission to destroy the one who strays.”

  They repeat after me while lighting the papers. Placing them on the ground at their feet they flutter and fly to the sky. The energy around them changes. I watch as the circle around them glows pink. They kiss and the glo
w wraps around them.

  The cheers echo around us. I clasp my hands together and bring them to my lips. I’m so overjoyed. When they finish their kiss they both face me.

  “Thank you for everything. Thank you for believing in me and helping me. I can never repay you for what you have done for me. This would never have happened if it wasn’t for you.” He held Clover closer to him and looks into her eyes.

  “You have already repaid me, Brice.”

  He looks at me confused. “How?”

  “By becoming the man I knew you could become. Now go take your mate and seal it.”

  He gives me a wicked smile and takes off with her in his arms. I hear her squeal and laugh.

  I wipe my face from the tears that seem to not want to stop. I glance at the next couple. I never thought this would ever happen for him. He swore this would never happen. Aidian is something special.

  “If I remember correctly, you said you would never be mated.”

  His chuckle reaches me. “Well, you can’t go against the Source.”

  Desiray looks between me and Aidian. “Am I missing something?”

  Aidian turns to her and the love that he shows her is not mistaken. “I never thought I would find a mate. I didn’t think I was worthy to have one.”

  The sadness in her eyes is evident. “Why would you think that?”

  “I’ve done some stupid stuff in my lifecycle that I wish I could take back. I thought for sure the Source was punishing me for it.”

  She cups his cheek and kisses his other one. “I think the Source has forgiven you.”

  His smile reaches his eyes. “I do believe the Source has.”

  I repeat the same thing I did for Brice and Clover. Again, tears well up in my eyes. I step back and let them say their vows to each other.

  “Desiray, from the moment I saw you I knew you were mine. I promise to love, cherish, and protect you. To be the man you always wanted, to be your best friend and to be the provider of our future family. To say I love you isn’t a strong enough word to describe what I feel for you. I know I will be there until our dying day.”

  Yep, the tears are working overtime with that. I watch as sobs wrack her body. He holds her and places a soft kiss on her cheek. He is so patient with her.

  “Aidian, When I first saw you, I was scared. I didn’t know how I could love someone so deep without even knowing you. You took my breath away. I’m honored the Source chose you to be my mate. I promise to love, honor, support, and cherish you from this day forward.”

  Without saying a word, I hand them their vows and a lighting device. I repeated myself from earlier. They both hug me and watch as the rest of them go through the ceremony.

  I had to have my mom take over. I stood next to each couple as they said their vows. I was a blubbering mess by the time the last couple was done.

  Kiernan, Kira, and Bruno surround me and hug me. I can feel their love for me seep into me. I wasn’t heartbroken, but my heart was overflowing.

  “Can we get in here too?” I look up to see the whole pack minus Brice and Clover surround me. I didn’t think my heart could take much more. I nod like a fool and let them all fill me with their love.

  After a few minutes, I’m able to compose myself and give them the love I have for them. I force it out of me and let them all feel it. I hear the gasps and sobs from a few of them.

  I look up to see the white light surround us as it flows out of me and into them. I watch as the light gets brighter. I push the love I have out even more. One by one, they kneel in front of me.

  A smile graces my face as I feel their love mingle with mine.

  “How could you love us this much? I feel like I’m going to explode at any second.”

  Turning to Veda, I simply smile at her. “The love I have for each of you is precious to me. You are all treasured to me.”

  I let the light recced back into me. I don’t want to completely overwhelm them. They now know how much I love them. I hope they will never have any doubts about it.

  “Go! Finish the ceremony. We will be here waiting for you and don’t you dare rush it. We will keep an eye on things while you are away.”

  They bow their heads to me and dash off. I’m never going to doubt the Source again. It has brought me a family I never dreamed of having. Watching them grow is the best thing I have ever seen. Time to face the danger we are about to go into.

  Turning to Bruno, I get his attention by clearing my throat. “We need to talk. What’s the plan to get into the valley without disturbing it?”

  He lowers his head. “I haven’t come up with that plan yet. I doubt there is peace there now with the demons are roaming the grounds.”

  “They can do whatever they want. I don’t want the dragon’s spirits pissed at us. They don’t deserve to be distressed because of us.”

  Nodding his head, he glances up to the sky like he is asking it to give him advice. He looks back at me.

  “I think we need to see it to get a better layout and go from there. I can’t picture something I’ve never seen.”

  “Ok, we can do that. But we are not going to rush it like we have no care in the world. We are not like those dipshit demons who can careless about anything.”

  “I agree. We will plan it when we get there.”

  I nod my head. I look to see who has Runes. When I don’t spot her right away, I start to panic.

  “Love, her dragon has her. He is curled up around her and is sleeping. I checked on them a few seconds ago.”

  My heart settles down a little. “I think we all need the rest. We will take turns getting some sleep.”

  Kira wraps her arms around my waist and squeezes me. “I think that is a great idea. Why don’t you sleep while Runes is and we will keep watch?”

  I have a funny feeling she is trying to get rid of me. For what I don’t know. The energy drains out of me quickly, like someone drugged me.

  A yawn escapes me. “I don’t know why you want to get rid of me so badly, but I’m too tired to question it. Wake me up in a few hours.”

  She nods her head and gives me one last hug. For some reason, it feels like a goodbye hug. I give her a stern look. “You better not be up to anything or I swear I will hunt you down and beat you.”

  She doesn’t look at me right away. “I would love to see you try.”

  “I’m serious you two.’ Pointing my finger at her and Bruno. “Better not be up to something. We are a team, a family. We do things together.”

  They both nod their heads, but I know they are up to something. They are both blocking me from getting inside their heads. I turn to Kiernan.

  “Do you know what they are up to?”

  Bruno turns me around. “We are not up to anything. We will be here when you wake up. I promise.”

  His promise feels empty to me. I can’t shake the feeling they are about to do something they shouldn’t. Like, go after the demons without me. I can’t have that.

  I don’t let them know that I think they are about to do something really stupid, just so I don’t get hurt. Which hurts to even think they don’t trust me enough to handle the demons. I just hope I’m wrong about all of this and I’m just making it up.

  I walk away from them dragging Kiernan with me. I make sure I’m out of hearing shot from Kira and Bruno. “They are up to something, I can feel it. I want you to have them watched. They are not to leave here without us. I won’t have them going on a suicide mission.”

  He wraps me up into his loving arms. “Love, I promise you they are not going after the demons. They aren’t stupid. For one they would never betray you like that and two they are scared to what you would do to them even if they tried.”

  “Then how come they are hiding something from me?”

  He chuckles. “I guess you will have to figure that out on your own.”

  I stare up at him. “Do you know something I don’t?”

  He gives me a tight squeeze before he lets me go. “I plead the fifth on that
one.”

  Is he serious right now? “Ok tell me this then. Will I be mad if I find out on my own and you didn’t tell me?”

  He looks me dead in the eye. “I would tell you if something bad was going on. I won’t ever hide that from you ever. Now can we get some sleep before Runes wakes up?”

  I let out a defeated sigh. “I know there is something going on and I tend to find out sooner rather than later.”

  He lets out a small chuckle. “I know you will. Come on we only have a few hours before she wakes up to feed. I can see your as exhausted as me.”

  He grabs my hand and pulls me along. I can’t lie and say I don’t feel the exhaustion. I really do miss my sleep sometimes.

  He finds a spot for us to sleep for a few hours. He lays down and opens his arms to me. I know what he wants, so I lay on top of him. He would never have me lay on the ground. Even if I wanted to, he wouldn’t have it.

  “You know I will hurt you if they leave and you knew about it.”

  I hear his rumble laughter through his chest. “I will let you hurt me if that was the case. I love you Dariya. I would never give you more stress than you already have. I promise they aren’t leaving. Get some sleep and when you wake up you will see I’m not lying to you.”

  I nod my head and drift to sleep. I wish I could say it was a peaceful sleep.

  I watch as my best friend and her mate take off while we are asleep. Not even letting anyone know they have left.

  Running through the woods, I’m guessing to go get Alums and Saffron themselves. I feel my anger rise and there is nothing I can do about stopping them.

  I try reaching for their links, but there is nothing there. It’s like to sever it somehow. The empty feeling I have tears me apart. I scream their names trying to get them to hear me. Nothing seems to be working.

  I fight to wake up, but I can’t; I’m stuck in this nightmare. The only thing I can do is watch.

  As they get closer to where they are going, they slow down. Bruno says something to Kira that I can’t hear. She nods her head and crouches down low, watching Bruno’s back.

  I try screaming at them again, it’s like everything is in mute. I even try shifting into my dragon at no avail. Why don’t I have control here? I always have control in my dream world.