Pillar of Light (The Lost Princess Book 1)

by A. Mashburn

  Malcolm was quiet and Scarlett looked anywhere but at Jade. “Scarlett?” Jade prompted.

  She huffed, blowing a stray hair out of her face. Malcolm knows, she winced as she linked her mate. With his heart beating frantically in his chest, he looked to the ceiling as he prayed to the Moon Goddess for control; he had explicitly told Scarlett not to tell anyone.

  He’s been like a brother to me, Jade. You must understand, I trust Malcolm. Stop being so stubborn. She crossed her arms and looked to the three soldiers. “I’ve known you and some of the others most of my life. We’ve trained together and fought together. We’ve been through so much, I know I can trust you with this.”

  “Scarlett, stop for a minute,” Jade warned, “I just—fucking hell—this is bullshit. I swear to the Goddess herself if any of you speaks a word of this to anyone, especially my brother in the state he’s in, I’ll kill you myself. Do I make myself clear?” Gideon and Scott looked baffled, while Malcolm looked slightly amused. “Fuck you, Malcolm,” Jade said, pointing to his second.

  A grin broke out across Malcolm’s face. “Awe man, I love you, too,” he teased. “You know they can be trusted and I haven’t said a word—not even to you—so that should be your proof for me.”

  “Are you two quite done?” Scarlett looked between her mate and Malcolm, rolling her eyes in exasperation. “They were willing to give up their lives to leave with us. They deserve to know who I am and where I come from, Jade.”

  He threw his hands up in the air and leaned against the wall as he begrudgingly said, “Fine, I stand by what I said, though.”

  She rolled her eyes and began, “Have any of you heard of the Priestess, Koko Meda?”

  Gideon nodded his head. “She’s the Night Priestess, High Priestess of the Moon Goddess. She was thought to be the Moon Goddess’ closest friend and ally.”

  Scarlett smiled fondly at the male. “True; she was devoted to the Moon Goddess and her love and loyalty knew no bounds. When she sacrificed herself for one of the Goddess’ wolves she was blessed and her soul was reincarnated into that of a wolf so that the Moon Goddess could have a direct line to her descendants for the rest of time. She was given the gift of foresight, among other things.

  “I am from a Navajo tribe that was wiped out by the Hunters.” She looked to Jade, smiling affectionately. “I only survived because Jade found me and brought me here. Six Hunters had cornered me. Even before my wolf came to me, I had other powers at my disposal and word spread quickly so they weren’t taking any chances at letting me get away.”

  Her heart weighed heavily in her chest at the memory of the slaughter her tribe had endured and felt Jade’s arm around her waist. “You did your best, Scar; you tried to warn them.”

  She reached up on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on his cheek. “I know, it still hurts though, they were my family. Anyways,” she shook her head clearing her thoughts and tucking away the emotion the story brought back, “long story short, Jade saved me that day and has continued to help me to control my powers and kept me safe.”

  She looked up to Jade and he held out his hand. Scarlett lifted her pendant off her neck and placed it into his waiting palm. As she did, the soldiers noticed her features begin to alter subtly. She was still very much herself but down each arm, she wore the moon phases, etched in a deep black ink. Her hair bore silver-white streaks and her eyes turned from honey brown to a bright ethereal sapphire blue as her wolf surged forward.

  “I am the reincarnation of Koko Meda, the Night Priestess. If I can get to the compound, I can use my powers to track the Hunters to their new stronghold. Once we have a location, we can figure out where to go from there,” she explained.

  Gideon and Scott stared at her in awe, while Malcolm grinned like a fucking idiot. Jade rolled his eyes. “As you can see, she is special. This must stay between us. We don’t need the council finding out about her.”

  At the mention of the council, even Malcolm grew serious. The three soldiers knelt on one knee, placed their hands over their hearts and bared their necks to Scarlett. She was awed by their show of complete submission.

  “Oh, stop that,” she said with tears in her eyes, “I trust you three already, or I wouldn’t have told you—get up—get up.” The soldiers stood and she looked to her mate, who was staring at her with complete adoration in his eyes. “Oh, you guys are killing me,” she laughed. “Let’s eat; I’ll make pasta for dinner. Quick and easy, but filling.” The three men smiled and walked to the porch while she headed to the kitchen and began preparing dinner.

  Jade was on the porch with his companions when he heard Gideon chuckle to his side. “How the hell did you get mated with the reincarnation of Koko Meda?”

  Jade shrugged his shoulder and guffawed, “I don’t know, man. I honestly didn’t think that there was a mate out there for me. I just wanted to do something special for her birthday and it hit us.”

  Malcolm laughed and clasped Jade on the shoulder. “I knew the two of you would be together. She’s been in love with you for ages and that is one female who always gets what she wants.” Jade laughed because he knew Malcolm was right. Scarlett was, if nothing else, the most persistent, determined woman he had ever met. “You realize,” Malcolm continued, “she’s going to give you hell for the rest of your lives, right?”

  Jade laughed as Scott chimed in, “Eh, he won’t mind that, I mean look at her; she’s fucking perfect.” He made an hourglass shape with his hands and the rest of the group laughed as Jade growled. They all turned to look inside at the object of their discussion, she was chopping up vegetables for a salad.

  Jade watched her for a few minutes as the other three men chatted amongst themselves. Scarlett stilled and her eyes clouded over. “Hey, I’ll be right back,” he said.

  He heard the guys as they laughed and joked about him not going in there or they’d never get dinner. But he ignored them all as he walked to the island where she was standing. “Scar?” he whispered and touched her arm gently.

  She was still for a moment longer before her eyes began to clear and she stared at Jade, “We won’t be able to do this without your brothers.”

  “What do you mean? Jayce is unstable and Nicoli is probably in Romania by now trying to get Gretchen’s memories back.”

  “It doesn’t matter, it must be all of us. Laria, she’s—she’s gone.” Tears welled in her eyes. “You need to go talk to Jayce, now. She’s going to the Hunters’ compound with a tracking spell. Once you’ve got him on board, then we need to get Nicoli and Gretchen on board somehow—it’s the only way.”

  “How am I supposed to explain to Jayce how I know this?”

  “Tell him about me, I don’t care, Jade. If she dies, we all die. Don’t you get it? There is no other way. Both of your brothers must be there, or we all die.”

  Hearing the commotion, Scott, Malcolm and Gideon walked into the kitchen. “What’s going on?” Malcolm asked.

  “I can’t tell him about you when he’s like this, Scar.”

  “Fine, then tell him you can’t find her and about the conversation you had. Tell him something, anything, that will convince him to work with Nicoli instead of trying to kill him. for the sake of his fucking mate,” she yelled at him as she ushered him out the front door.

  “Mate?” he asked.

  “I swear to the Goddess, Jade, you drive me crazy sometimes. Yes, his damned mate; Laria, is Nyx’s mate. I’ll give you the short version. Talon’s essence is the reason the mate bond is suppressed. I don’t have time to explain all this to you. Go, convince him, now. Then, come back for dinner and we can figure out how to get Nicoli and Gretchen here, too.” She slammed the door in Jade's face as she rubbed her temples. She turned to find Malcolm stirring the sauce and smiling, while Gideon and Scott stood wide-eyed and slack-jawed in shock.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The crisp mountain air blew gently across Mo's face and she stretched, relieving the morning stiffness that came with sleeping outdoors. What had be
en a comforting fire the night before had burnt down to nothing but warm embers. She looked towards where Gretchen and Nicoli were curled up, limbs entangled as they slept soundly and smiled. She couldn’t deny that she was a bit envious of Nicoli but to her surprise, she was genuinely happy for her two friends. After she’d watched them work together, she realized that although she loved Gretchen dearly, Nicoli and Gretchen were meant for each other—even if they didn’t know it yet.

  One day she hoped she would find a love like theirs. But, after over three centuries on Earth without finding her mate, she figured the chances were slim. He or she had either died or wasn’t born yet; either way, she was alone.

  You’re not alone, Mora reminded her. I know that we can never replace a mate bond, but we are never alone. We have much to be grateful for in our life and who knows what’s around the corner? Today feels different.

  Wow, you’re perky this morning, Mora. Mo smiled inwardly at the optimism Mora showed. She seemed to be more awake today than she had been lately. The freedom did you some good, huh?

  Oh yes; I haven’t felt this good in a while. I know you like the city life and rarely do I get a chance to spread my wings. Now, if we could find some food for breakfast, that would make the trip worthwhile.

  Okay, okay, Mo agreed. It was indeed time to get some breakfast and since Nicoli and Gretchen provided dinner, she figured hunting would be an excellent way to do her part. She focused on Mora in her mind and the shift came easily. A moment later, they were in the air. Mora had her eye out for a wild boar and luck seemed to be on their side; she spotted one and dove down silently wrapping her talons firmly around the beast. The boar squealed, but with one quick squeeze, he laid motionless in her grasp and she quickly circled back around to camp. Something about the air seemed charged and made her and Mora increasingly anxious to get back to their friends.

  She approached the camp and her scales began to tingle with awareness. There was a strong magical force near the camp and her heart raced at the thought that her friends might be in danger. However, when she arrived, nothing seemed out of place. Gretchen and Nicoli were still curled up together sleeping soundly.

  Mora, do you feel that?

  Of course, I do; there’s magic here that wasn’t before but I can’t pinpoint where it is.

  As they used their dual-vision, Mora surveyed the area again and tried to find something they might’ve missed on their descent from the sky. She didn’t observe anything out of place but couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something wrong. She lumbered over to where Nicoli and Gretchen laid and nudged Gretchen with her nose.

  Gretchen stirred, opened her eyes and suppressed a scream as she saw the large dragon’s face in her view. “Fuck, Mora,” she panted and Nicoli sprung into a crouching position ready to defend his female. Mora let out a low chuffing sound that mimicked a laugh and Gretchen rolled her eyes.

  Once Mo was standing in front of them bare as the day she’d been born, she let them know about the magic she felt. “Even with Mora’s keen eyesight, I couldn’t see anything out of place. But, I know someone is here or was very recently while I was gone.”

  Nicoli scratched the back of his head. “Were expecting Slovenia this morning, so it’s not surprising that you’re feeling her magic.”

  “Actually,” a sultry voice spoke, “It is quite surprising since I’m suppressing my aura.” Mo looked toward the sound of the new voice and found the most enchanting creature she’d ever laid eyes on. She was about Gretchen’s height, with an hourglass figure. The glowing golden runes stood out against her deep purple skin and her hair was in an elegant bun that accentuated her long neck. As Mo circled her, she noticed that the dress the female wore encased her body perfectly. The gown was royal blue and perfectly matched her eyes which were accented by high cheekbones. She had a dainty nose and lips which were delicate but unbelievably pouty and dare she say, kissable? Mo felt a tightening in the pit of her stomach as she pictured herself pulling this enchanting creature close and kissing her.

  “Are you quite done with your perusal?” The curt sound of Slovenia’s voice broke Mo’s trance-like state and she noticed the slight frown between the witch’s eyes. “Over three hundred years old and your mouth is agape,” she admonished Mo.

  She wasn’t wrong, Mo noticed. Her mouth was indeed open for catching flies and she promptly snapped it shut grumbling as she walked away.

  It seems you are at a loss for words, Mora’s voice taunted in her head.

  Shut it, Mora, you weren’t much better. I can hear you licking your lips like a fucking lizard torturing a grubworm under a rock.

  Oh, I have no excuse, nor will I try to make one. She is stunning and her aura feels like electrical currents running through me; It’s quite fascinating.

  Mo rolled her eyes again as she grabbed the wild boar to dress and prepare it for breakfast. She found that it was indeed difficult to keep her eyes on the boar with this bewitching female so close. A few times, though, she noticed that she wasn’t the only one having a hard time. Slovenia had also glanced her way; several times she made eye contact and swiftly looked elsewhere. What is it about that woman? Mo thought to herself.

  Slovenia eyed the dragon shifter warily. She had never not been able to hide her aura from somebody. She knew dragon shifters were ancient beings, but she’d never had an issue hiding her essence around them. This was new territory for her and she didn’t like it, not one bit.

  The female shifter kept glancing her way and it was unnerving how she found her own eyes drawn to the petite woman’s form. She was athletically built but had feminine curves. The more she looked at her, the more beautiful she found her to be. She had a few ancient-looking tattoos, one on her shoulder that she recognized as Draconic in nature. It stood out against her caramel-colored skin. She noticed another on her hip that dipped into the waist of her skinny jeans. She found her mind wandering to what it would look like as she peeled off the second skin and—She shook her head; what the hell? Get your head back in the game, she chastised herself and tried to focus on what Gretchen was asking.

  “So, how would that work?”

  “I’m sorry, what?” She forced herself to pay attention.

  “Vinnie, are you okay?” Nicoli asked.

  “I’m wonderful, Nicoli; now—what?” Slovenia snipped.

  Nicoli looked at Mo, who was now placing some of the cut-up boar on the fire, and back to Slovenia, then grinned. “Right, okay, well Gretchen here was asking if we would need to gather anything for the ritual or if she needed to do anything to prepare, you know since she’s currently bound. She wanted to know how all this was going to work.” He raised an eyebrow at her in question.

  “I have everything we need. I will also teleport the camp to my cottage. I have over a hundred acres, so when she shifts for the first time, she will be able to roam freely without the fear of killing anyone.”

  A look of terror filled Gretchen’s eyes. “Killing someone? What do you mean?”

  “Sorry, I could’ve been a little more sensitive, dear. A wolf’s first shift can be a little—” She looked to Nicoli.

  “Unpredictable,” Nicoli finished for her.

  “Yes, unpredictable. So, we want to make sure that you’re in a safe place where you can’t hurt anyone or yourself.”

  Gretchen looked between the two of them, “But, I’ve already shifted when I was younger and I can speak to Genesis; she doesn’t seem wild or capable of murder.” A frown formed between her eyebrows.

  Slovenia brushed Gretchen’s hair out of her face, soothing her. “Genesis has not been out in many years and will want to hunt. While it’s not typical for a Pterolycus to lose control of their wolf counterpart during the shift, because you’ve been bound for so long, Genesis may be a little unpredictable even to herself. She will likely kill several small animals to start but I wouldn’t be surprised if she hunted much larger game, too. She’s a strong wolf and an Alpha by blood. Once we release the bond, she may
force the shift out of instinct, so we’ll break the binding outdoors.” She smiled at Gretchen, “Worry not dear, Genesis won’t harm any of us.”

  “How did you—” Gretchen began.

  “Know your fear?” Slovenia’s smile broadened. “Because you care about the people around you. You have a pure soul and it’s natural for you to fear for the ones you love. Genesis is not a killer by nature; you were very well paired—your souls are in balance.”

  It was Nicoli’s turn to frown. “How can you tell?”

  “I don’t need to share all my secrets, do I?” she teased. “She will be fine, you have my word. I have my ways of knowing these things. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go ahead and move the camp. I need everyone to be still.” Her gaze fell on Mo and said, “Be still Mallaidh, I am moving the camp.”

  Mo’s head snapped in her direction. Mora, how the hell did she know our Draconic name? Mora was silent though and gave no response. Shit, who the fuck is this woman? she thought to herself. Instead of saying anything to the witch, she stopped what she was doing and nodded her head indicating she would be still.

  Once everyone complied, she began chanting and the scene around them transformed. Slovenia clapped her hands. “Alright, here we are.”

  Trees with varying shades of yellows, reds and oranges surrounded them. There was a cobblestone cottage in the middle with ivy up the sides reminding her of Alice’s cabin. “This is amazing,” Gretchen whispered in awe.

  Slovenia smiled, “It’s home; I’ll show you around.”

  As they walked off, Slovenia turned to Mo, “Are you coming as well? Or are you to sit by the pit and monitor the pig?”

  Mo raised her chin and peered at the female through squinted eyes. “If you want me to come, all you have to do is ask.”

  Slovenia’s eyes widened, “Oh my, you are bold to assume.” Mo just tilted her head to the side and waited. Slovenia paused for a moment then said, “If you would like to come, please, join us.”