“I go by Killían North. It’s easier for humans to pronounce. And, no, my family died by Incanti fire. Only my brother and I escaped through the gate before they gained total control. But even he is no longer with me.”
“I am sorry for your loss. I understand your pain. But, you have family here now, though.”
“Yes,” Eli interjected. “Your Eira saved our mate, so she is very near and dear to our hearts. We take care of our family.” Eli pulled me into a quick embrace before moving to Diana’s side. “So be sure and take good care of her or we will come hunting.” He flashed a quick smile and a wink, but even the joking tone of his voice held a tempered warning.
I bowed my head respectfully, though I knew it was not required. “I will protect Eira with my life.”
“Killían,” Eira whispered into my ear. “I expect to hear the whole story soon.”
“I know,” I answered. The time for hiding from my past was over. She already knew some, but she deserved to know who had held her heart hostage all these years.
Miles returned, followed by two very large, very emotionally charged Lycans. Their irises were bright yellow, and the tips of their fangs showed from beneath their top lips.
“Where’s Charlotte?” The slightly larger of the two growled and stepped closer to Eira.
I moved between her and him, and he snarled.
Eira touched my shoulder and stepped to my side. “Listen, Garrett, you threaten Killían again and I’ll make sure you never have babies.” She snapped her teeth, and the Lycan male swallowed audibly, stepping backward and calming himself enough that his eyes turned brown again.
The other Lycan, the smarter of the two, stood quietly watching the whole thing. “What happened, Eira?” he asked.
“Double-cross. We were taken by surprise. Half the group was killed, and the other half was drugged and taken.”
“Where are they now?” the same man asked.
“Savannah,” Eira said.
“How do you know for sure? What if they already killed her and the rest?” Garrett interjected.
“I’m the reason they can sneak in and out of places. Jump the walls without tripping alarms. I’m the thorn in Xerxes’s side. The pack relocates the refugees from the SECR, but I’m the one that gets them out. Xerxes wants me and he doesn’t have me yet.”
“Raven told me you returned unexpectedly, Eira. What’s happened?” The voice of Rose Hilah cut through the conversations around us. The two Lycans stepped aside to allow her into the circle we’d created. The petite, olive-skinned woman stepped forward.
“Xerxes has Charlotte.”
“Eira…” Rose’s brown eyes darkened almost to black. “You know it’s a trap.”
“Doesn’t matter. She’d do the same for me.”
“What about your destiny here? You’re supposed to be one of the town’s Protectors. Why do you continue to run from it? We can offer your friends homes within the safety of Sanctuary.”
“Only if I take your offer, right?” Eira spat out. “I’ve lived on my own just fine. What makes you think I’ll hand over my freedom to you now?”
“To save your friends, you would sacrifice anything. All Protectors share that commonality. We need you, Eira. It is not a one-sided deal. We protect ours.” Rose turned from Eira to Miles. “Please go find Alek and Jared.”
The Drakonae male nodded and slipped away.
“Alek and Jared are two of the most powerful Others living in Sanctuary, besides myself and the dragons. They will accompany you. A Gryphon and Phoenix should tip the scales in your favor… I do hope you return to us, Eira, and join the family you are destined to have.”
I wasn’t exactly sure what Rose was, but if she compared herself to a Drakonae, she had to be something really old and very powerful.
“Killían, take care of Eira and watch yourself. Xerxes’ spies are everywhere. Trust no one and never drop your guard,” the small woman said, her gaze penetrating to my soul. Magick shuddered in the air around us both like free-flowing static electricity—as if she could control the essence of it.
I nodded. I had no intention of losing Eira ever again. And though I didn’t understand exactly why Rose wanted Eira to be a Protector or what that really meant for her, I could tell it was upsetting, and that irritated me. This woman was offering us help for the rescue mission, but was attaching chains.
“Thank you,” Eira whispered quietly. “I will accept your offer when I return.”
Rose lifted her arm and touched Eira’s face with her fingertips. “You won’t regret joining us. I promise.”
Chapter 15
EIRA
Holding back the anger seething inside me was close to impossible. She’d taken advantage of my need, promising the help we desperately required to have any chance at all of recovering Charlie and the others and making it out of Savannah alive.
All so I’d take the vow of a Protector. Granted, she was offering asylum to what was left of the Mason pack, but it still stung. It wasn’t likely that the Masons would want to leave Ada anyway. So that offer was worthless. Still, if she was willing to send a Phoenix and Gryphon with me to Savannah. That alone was worth my sacrifice. Charlie would do it for me.
Vampires in Sanctuary who filled the roles of Protectors were bound to the Sisters of the House of Lamadae through a spell. Rose then gave permanent safeguarding from the sun through a tattoo she enchanted.
Never having to fear the sun again was every vampire’s unspoken desire –a fatal weakness that couldn’t be escaped.
But magick always came with a price. Blood created the daylight ring I wore. It was a small spell. But the spell to become a Protector was a huge ordeal. Bailey had described what she’d gone through when she took on the role. There hadn’t been any drawbacks yet, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be later.
I was a lot older than Bailey. The longer a person lived, the more suspicious they became. I’d asked Erick about it, but he said other than taking time to help Rose find the rest of the Protectors, it hadn’t changed his life in a negative way.
Still. I knew there had to be a catch. It just wasn’t one anyone knew about… or purposefully wasn’t sharing.
After Rose left the circle, I turned to Travis and Garrett again. “We need SUVs. There could be people hurt we need to transport. They took at least eight, including Charlie.”
“On it,” Travis answered. He and his brother slipped off and out of the cafe.
“You need to feed again, Eira. Before we leave,” Killían said, placing a hand on my arm.
He was right, but I couldn’t feed from him again so soon. It wasn’t fair to weaken him and put his life in unnecessary danger.
“You can’t give more blood. It hasn’t been long enough.”
He shook his head. “I’m fine. Take what you need.”
“She’s right, Killían,” Eli’s deep voice rumbled beside me. “If you’ve already fed her in the last twenty-four hours, you need to rest. She might need you again once you’re out on the road.” Eli turned to Raven, who was standing a few feet away behind the counter. “Grab me a large glass, please.”
The purple-haired Pixie set a large water glass on the counter.
Eli pulled a small silver dagger from inside his jacket. It was dragon steel, the only metal that could pierce Drakonae skin. He slid the dagger over his palm, and his blood ran freely into the glass below.
The scent of his fresh blood was intoxicating. My fangs descended, and I stepped closer, licking my lips. The anticipation of Drakonae blood made my mouth water.
“Thank you, Eli.”
“Like we said, you are family, Eira. Diana will enjoy you living in town. I know she enjoys Calliope and Bailey’s company, but she truly misses you when you go. Return safely, little warrior.”
I drank down the glass of blood, told Diana goodbye, and then left the cafe. Killían followed right behind me.
“What do you have to do to be a Protector, Eira?”
I leaned against the stone wall of the café, studied him for a moment, and then shrugged. “It links me to this town. But no one really knows the end game for the spell. The Sisters say it will ultimately free them from Xerxes threat. But that’s all I know. If Rose or the Sisters know more than that, they haven’t shared it with anyone.”
He cupped my face and captured my mouth, sweeping his tongue across the seam of my lips until I opened for him. Then he plunged it inside my mouth, taking me away from the worry and confusion. Only he existed in that moment. Only the feel of his mouth against mine, his scent surrounding me. He was my rock. He was what my life had been missing all these years, what my body and soul had wept for every time another couple kissed or embraced.
The roar of engines coming down the road made him pull away. I cursed that we didn’t have time to make love again before we left. But that would have to wait. Charlie and her family needed me. I wouldn’t let them down just because I was a little horny.
Two black suburbans pulled to a stop in front of the cafe. The dark-tinted windows rolled down to reveal Travis and Garrett in one and the two men I’d only met in passing, Jared and Alek, in the other.
“Y’all riding the bike? The seats in here are gonna be a lot more comfy,” Travis said, patting the side of the vehicle. “Just leave the bike. The Pixies will put it away for you.”
Killían nodded. “Let’s stick with two vehicles. The bike is loud. These SUVs will make less of an impression.”
Worked for me. As long as we arrived where we needed to be, I was fine with it. I walked with him to the side door of the SUV Travis was driving. He opened it for me, and I climbed in first. The middle row was made up of two bucket seats with a third fold down seat in the middle. The back seat had a large black duffle bag. From the strong scent of gunpowder wafting my direction, it was full of guns and ammunition.
Killían handed me the two dragon steel sheathed swords and climbed into the bucket seat behind Travis, closing the door behind him. The SUV started forward, only to jerk to a sudden halt.
“What happened?”
“We added another passenger to the caravan. Mikjáll just climbed into the other SUV. Apparently, he’s coming along.”
“Who is Mikjáll?” Killían asked.
“Miles and Eli’s kid from a long time ago. He escaped the Veil right after Diana did. Xerxes killed his wife. Doesn’t surprise me that he wanted to come along. He’s been itching for a fight ever since he arrived here.”
“He’s Drakonae then?” Killían spoke again.
“Yup,” Garrett answered. “Fire breather like his dad… dads.”
“His name is of Elvin origin.”
Travis shrugged as he put the vehicle into gear and began to move forward again. “Don’t know what to tell you. He’s a dragon, not an elf.” He laughed. “We have four dragons in town now. Xerxes has to be quaking in his boots. Haven’t seen any Djinn snooping around lately, either.”
“Settle in guys. We have a good eight-hour drive before we hit the fence at the Mississippi,” Garrett said, rolling his head from side to side.
“If you pull over a mile or so before, I’ll influence the guards to let us through without questioning you,” I added, leaning against Killían’s shoulder. The sun poured through the side window and bathed my face and arms in its warmth. It felt good to not fear the light again. My thumb rubbed over the new ring while I considered the agreement I’d made with Rose. Having a permanent solution to the sunlight was definitely a perk to the Protector position in the town. Still, something bothered me about the whole arrangement.
It didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was rescuing Charlie and her family.
“Don’t worry about the guards. Stop at Fort Stevens. I know the Commander on post there. He’ll radio ahead and let us in and out without any trouble,” Killían said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
I sat up, pulling away from him. “How?”
Garrett turned in his seat and cocked an eyebrow as well. “You know TR soldiers personally?”
Killían nodded. “I was in the army for thirty years. They are very friendly toward Others. It’s the local police departments that can’t get over themselves. Even though the republic is very clear that they are pro-Other.”
“Some towns are worse than others. Most of the small towns could care less as long as everyone is friendly and respectful,” Travis added, catching my gaze in the rearview mirror. “The big cities like to blame their problems on us, but it’s no more us than it is humans. There are good and bad in every species.”
“Very true,” Killían said.
An hour later, we arrived at Fort Stevens, an Army base just south of the city of Fort Worth. Even though Killían seemed perfectly at ease surrounded by hundreds of heavily armed soldiers, Travis and Garrett were not so calm. Their pulses were speeding up, and sweat beaded on their brows.
“We’ll just stay here while you go chat,” Travis said, not moving from the driver’s seat.
Garrett rolled down his window as I climbed out with Killían.
“Are you sure?” I asked, turning back to Garrett.
The Lycan nodded.
“Okay. Suit yourselves.” I wanted to meet the soldiers Killían said would help us. Seeing them face-to-face, hearing their tone of voice, listening to their heartbeat would allow me to trust their intentions. It would’ve been nice to have Garrett and Travis listening in to their thoughts, but I could understand their hesitation. Both of them had lost family members in the riots, and neither was fond of any type of authority — military or local law enforcement.
Garrett had actually been in the Army before the Instinct drug hit the market in 2046. They’d lived in a neighborhood filled with pack members. A couple of kids used the drug and ran home after transforming in public. No one had been hurt, but the police overreacted and gassed the entire block. Their parents died that night. Both of them left Chicago, splitting apart and going their separate ways for years.
Travis found his way to Sanctuary first, from what the Pixies had shared with me. And Garrett had arrived in town only in the last year. Both men helped organize the mishmash of Lycans that lived in Sanctuary, but both had refused to step into the shoes of alpha of the pack. It was customary to have a mate before taking on that role. Instead, an election had been held, and a strong alpha pair from Seattle had been given the alpha position for the wolves in town.
Raven said plenty of the single Lycan females had shown interest, but without a magickal connection, no babies. Tradition mandated that an alpha pair had to be able to have kids.
“Will they let us on base?” I asked Killían as the three men from the other SUV fell in step behind us. The gate was only a dozen yards away, but the sound of the guards racing heartbeats and heavy breathing were loud as we approached. They were nervous already, and we needed to be careful.
Killían and I were obviously armed. Each of us wore one of the dragon steel swords. I’d lost the samurai sword I’d carried for years during the skirmish at the bridge. The dragon steel blade was a little heavier and longer, but it didn’t affect my ability to use it in the least. In fact, now I had a blade that would cut through almost anything.
“Yes, as long as Commander Martins is on base. If not, I’ll ask for someone else.”
“You used to live on base?” Jared MacKay asked from behind me.
“Yes. This was home for a long time,” Killían answered.
“Why do they all look like they’re going to wet their pants?” Alek asked, chuckling under his breath.
“Because you three are giants,” I hissed, trying to keep from grinning.
Killían was tall. Maybe six-foot-three-inches, but Mikjáll was almost seven feet tall like Miles and Eli. Alek and Jared were only a few inches shorter, both easily measuring in at six-foot-ten or so. Put that kind of height together with the large amount of musculature they displayed and the three of them painted a rath
er intimidating picture.
Alek stepped up next to me and grinned. “I like being the scary one.”
“I bet you do,” I answered, finally letting my mouth turn up into a smile.
“We’re going to get your friends back,” Alek said.
“Thank you.”
“I know you think Rose is a hard-ass,” Alek started. “But she also treats everyone in the town as if they were family. She would fight to her dying breath to save each and every one of us if that’s what it took.”
“She is a hard-ass, though,” Jared spoke up from where he was walking with Mikjáll, still behind Killían.
“She’s worth fighting for,” Alek said as we came to a stop a few feet from the guards’ gate.
Four armed soldiers in green fatigues with the TR emblem on their arms stood at attention, blocking our way. Killían motioned for us to stay where we stood, and he approached alone.
“I’m retired Master Sergeant North. I need to speak to Commander Martins.”
“The Master Sergeant North?” One of the soldiers relaxed his stance. “The one that trained the twenty-third regiment?”
“Yes, sir. That would be me.”
“And they’re all with you?” The soldier pointed to us.
“Yes. Please call the Commander.”
“Oh. Of course. Yes, Master Sergeant, sir.” He bumbled through his response as he stepped into the guardhouse.
Chapter 16
EIRA
I listened to the soldier’s brief conversation with someone on the other line, who assured him that Killían was indeed who he claimed to be and to let all of us on base with him.
The young man stepped out of the booth and saluted Killían. “The Commander is waiting for you at the field office. Private Tilman will escort you there if you will follow him in your vehicles.”
Sanctuary, Texas Complete Series Box Set Page 55
