The first noise I heard was the sound of a cat growling. The second was of a man screaming in pain.
I opened my eyes and saw Jasper crouched low, his body tensed, tail twitching, ready to dodge as a man came at him with a dagger. Dodge was farther to the left, spinning from side to side, trying to keep three men away from him. His new wings were folded tightly over his back.
I noticed five more men coming out of the woods. A glance at the ground showed me my swords beside our packs. I dove and rolled, pulling them out of their scabbards as I stood up.
Jasper’s attacker was joined by two more. One of the men made their way toward me.
Brice shifted and circled around so that the three men going after Jasper were caught between the two of them.
Jasper gave some unseen signal. Both cats leaped toward the men.
All I heard were the screams as I focused on my opponent. He lunged forward aiming for my chest with his dagger. My swords swung up and scissored together. Blood sprayed me, the man’s arm cut off just before the elbow. He screamed and clutched his arm to his chest and ran into the woods. I let him go.
I looked over at Dodge in time to see him jump forward and bite one of his challengers in the face. Jasper and Brice took care of the other two.
We all stood, unmoving, waiting for another wave of attackers. The only noise to be heard was our heavy breathing. Jasper shifted back. He still had his battle face on.
I bent down and quickly strapped my scabbards to my back but didn’t put the swords away. The movement drew his gaze to me. Perfect blue eyes looked into mine and blinked. He turned to look at Brice who had shifted back.
If Brice saw the punch coming he wasn’t quick enough to dodge it. His head snapped back and his nose spurted blood.
Jasper picked his dagger off the ground, stuck it into his belt and stalked over to me. I sheathed my swords and ran to him, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“Thank the moons,” he whispered. He simply held me tightly to his chest and I felt him take a long shuddering breath.
“Shush. It’s ok.” The words barely made it out with my sobs. Tears were running from my eyes. He smiled and wiped them from my cheeks, then used his arm to wipe his own away. He held my face gently in his hands and kissed me softly. My lips tingled and my heart jumped. I felt him smile before he kissed me a little harder. His tongue found mine and I moaned.
He was breathing hard when he pulled away and leaned his forehead against mine. “You’re alright?”
I nodded. “Are you?”
“I am now that you are with me again.”
I hate to interrupt, but I’d like to get away from here and closer to home if we could. Dodge was walking toward us.
I smiled. “Hey, Buddy. Are you alright?” I gave him a hug.
He nodded.
I walked around him and he spread his wings so I could see. Jasper walked with me, his hand in mine, neither one of us wanting to stop touching.
“Wow. Those are amazing! Have you tried flying yet?”
I have. It is unbelievable. I can’t wait to take you up there.
“Awesome!” I turned to look for Brice. He was leaning against a tree, trying to get his nose to stop bleeding. “Did you have to do that?” I asked Jasper.
He shrugged. “It’s less than what I really wanted to do to him.”
The three of us made our way over to him. I let go of Jasper’s hand and made Brice kneel so I could heal him.
When I was done he stayed where he was, looking at the ground.
I gave Jasper’s hand a squeeze and he sighed. “Stand up, Brice.”
Brice’s eyes were wide as he did as he was told. Jasper moved toward him and he flinched.
“Relax, Brice. I’m not going to kill you.”
“I would understand if you did.”
Jasper shook his head. “You’re like a brother to me. If I can forgive one brother for taking her, I can’t very well kill the other one for it.”
I started to laugh and everyone looked at me.
“What’s so funny about that, Shlova?”
“I was just thinking what a messed up family we are.” I grinned at him. “You’re a Namael, Luke is a Maj, I’m half human, half Wedelve, and Brice is a full human.”
The look on Jasper’s face was priceless. “But…”
“We’ll explain on the way. I tend to agree with Dodge. Let’s head home. Do you know where we are, Brice?”
He looked carefully at our surroundings then nodded. “The Wedelven River is about three hours from here. If we can get across the river, we should be safe; from humans, anyway.”
Jasper gave me a boost onto Dodge. I rubbed a hand over his wings. “You look like a bay Pegasus.” His laughter echoed in my head.
We started off at a trot, Jasper and Brice staying human so they could talk. Jasper explained how the Mother had given Faren permission to fly him closer to the human border. Brice told our story from the beginning. By the time we were done exchanging stories we could faintly hear the river.
Jasper looked up at me. “Do you think Braw’s plan would have worked?”
I shuddered and nodded.
There was a thudding noise not far from my head and I looked up to see an arrow sticking in a tree. I flattened myself against Dodge.
Jasper growled at the sight of at least twenty men coming through the woods toward us. Brice went to stand beside him.
I reached into my pocket and came up empty. “I lost it! I must have dropped the stone when I grabbed my swords!”
I saw Brice take a deep breath. He put his hand on Jasper’s arm. “Get her out of here. Get her across the river.”
Jasper glance quickly at him then back to the men. “You can’t take them all on by yourself.”
“She needs to be safe and she needs you with her. Go. They won’t know what hit them.” He grinned at Jasper.
“What makes you think you’ll be able to stall them?”
“I had the best teacher.” He gave Jasper’s arm a squeeze. He turned and put a hand on my knee. “Stay safe, Hayden.”
“Come with us.” The tears were flowing.
He shook his head. “I have to give you enough time to find the bridge so Jasper can cross.” He reached up and kissed me softly. “Good bye, Hayden.”
He gave Dodge a pat on the neck then shifted and ran toward the oncoming men.
Jasper watched him for a fraction of a second. “Go, Dodge!” He shifted and we raced toward the sound of the river. It didn’t take long to break out of the trees and into a meadow.
I leaned forward. “Fly! We have to find that bridge!”
Dodge spread his wings and lifted into the air. Jasper looked up and followed from the ground. I looked both ways along the river. “There!” The Wedelve half of me spotted the invisible bridge.
Dodge flew back down and hit the ground running beside Jasper. I guided them over the bridge. Jasper shifted back. “Burn it, Hayden.”
“But Brice…”
Jasper shook his head.
My throat tightened and I swallowed hard. I threw a red wave at the bridge and closed my eyes. Dodge moved away from the fire and I shivered.
“Bloody hell,” I mumbled. I had forgotten it was winter on this side of the river.
Jasper handed me my jacket and pulled on his extra tunic. “Let’s go, Shlova.”
I gave Dodge a pat on the neck, gave the other side of the river one last look and we trotted off into the snow, getting as far from the border as we could.
Chapter Three
He heard her whimper in her sleep and felt the fear and pain. She’d had the same dream every night since she had come back.
“No.” The word came out as a moan.
She curled into the fetal position and started to shake. Braw was going to pay for what he had made her do. He’d felt it when it had happened; had felt the pain ripping through her head, the energy coursing through her body. He had dropped to the ground midstride with the force
of it. He hadn’t told her and didn’t plan on it. She felt horrible enough as it was.
Jasper waited for the sobs to come. These were quickly followed by a feeling of loss so great it tore him apart.
Had he been right to let Brice stand alone? He’d thought so at the time. But every night at this time, he questioned himself. He shook his head. Hayden was what was important. He knew that. Brice had known that. He finished the glass of water he had gotten up to get before returning to bed.
He would have to remember to thank Kantong for the use of his cabin the next time they ran into each other.
After two weeks of traveling through the snow, he had lit a fire at the abandoned cabin and felt Hayden’s internal sigh at the warmth. It had taken her a matter of seconds to fall asleep and he had hoped that the added comfort would have kept the nightmare away.
Hayden moved and the blanket slipped off of her. She was wearing one of his shirts as a nightgown.
Jasper’s heart jumped in his chest. He was sure he would never get used to how beautiful she was. He still couldn’t get over how she thought herself plain. Her long dark brown hair was highlighted with the firelight. Her bare legs were glowing with it.
The dream ended and her whole body relaxed. She reached back in her sleep to where he had been laying behind her.
He felt her confusion turn to full panic. He was at her side before she sat up looking for him.
“It’s alright, Shlova. I’m right here.” He pulled her to his chest and rubbed her back. “I got up for a drink.”
She took a few deep breaths then looked up at him. Her soft green eyes narrowed. “You haven’t slept yet.”
He shrugged. He wasn’t about to tell her he could never fall asleep until after she finished her nightmare. He gazed into her eyes and gave her his most innocent look. “I wasn’t tired.” Truth was, he was exhausted, but he knew there would be little sleep for him until they were safe in their own cabin.
She brought her hand up to his face. “You shaved.” Her thumb traced the lines of his cheekbone, along his jaw, and back up again.
Jasper closed his eyes. How long had it been, he wondered and tried to think back. How long since he had last felt her delicate body beneath his hands and had felt her body quiver under his.
Hayden had let her shield down and with a groan he found he was the one quivering.
“That’s not fair,” he whispered hoarsely.
She smiled and toned it down a bit. She pulled his shirt over her head, let it drop to the ground then did the same to the one he was wearing. Her tongue ran over his nipple and he sucked in a breath. Her lips brushed lightly over his skin.
His head was spinning.
She stood and pulled him up before untying the laces on his pants. He stepped out of them and picked her up.
Hayden bit his neck playfully and he groaned. Any ideas he’d had about taking his time were quickly flying out the window. But first, two could play at this game. She could use her mind to knock him flat with need. He had his own tricks to do the same to her.
He set her down on the counter and bent his head to her chest. Perfect, he thought to himself. He ran his tongue lightly over each nipple.
Her moan made his breath come faster. She wasn’t playing fair. With each touch and kiss she was projecting her need for him with more force.
He picked her up again, this time pushing her up against the wall. He let her slide down until he could feel her wetness on the tip of his shaft. She wiggled between him and the wall, wanting him to take her. She was shaking. But then again, so was he.
He let her down some more and the two of them let out identical moans. God, she was tight. He pushed up slowly and let gravity do its part.
Hayden gave a surprised cry and threw her head back. He felt her whole body convulse against his. He had to shake his head and think of snow so he wouldn’t be taken over by her pleasure.
She melted against him and moaned with satisfaction.
Jasper thrust up into her. His head reeled. He pulled back and thrust again.
“Oh, god, Jasper.”
By the moons, he loved when she moaned his name. He could feel her tightening around him once more. He pushed harder and let her drop a little lower so he could get deeper. His head spun.
Her moan started low in her throat and was muffled when she bit his shoulder. She clenched around him and he gave a cry of his own as he spilled himself into her. He found her mouth with his and kissed her tenderly.
He stayed there with her pinned against the wall, enjoying the feel of her against him. His breathing slowed back to normal and he set her down gently.
After getting back to their blankets he took a deep breath, and let it out. He kissed the back of her neck and pulled her against him. “A shlova yan,” he whispered softly.
“A shlova yan jer.”
He chuckled. “How do you figure you love me more?”
She shrugged. “I just do.”
He kissed her again. “Bunna soit, Shlova.”
“Good night, Jasper.”
And for the first time in over two months, he actually slept.
*****
I pulled my coat on, looked out the window, and shivered.
Jasper grinned at me. “We’re not even outside yet, Shlova.”
“I know. But I know that the instant I go out there I’ll be cold.”
He kissed the bridge of my nose before helping me adjust the swords on my back. “Just think. We’re almost there. If the weather holds, we’ll be home in less than two weeks.”
I grunted.
Are you coming?
I opened the door and glared at Dodge.
His head came up in surprise. Never mind.
I mumbled an apology to both of them and swung onto my horse. He folded his wings over my legs.
Better?
I patted his neck. “Thank you.”
Jasper shifted and we started off at a trot.
Day one of fourteen, I thought to myself bitterly.
We had been travelling for seven of those fourteen days when we heard the growl. Dodge stopped short in his tracks and we stood still, listening.
That’s when we heard the excited yips of dogs.
Jasper growled low in his throat and we slowly made our way toward the commotion. We came upon a lion being circled by two wolves and a coyote.
We’ll go right.
Jasper nodded and headed to the left.
I pulled my swords out and got ready. With the lion being stuck in the middle of it all, it was too risky to use my color waves. We charged out of the cover of the willows. All three dogs paused their circling and looked up. Jasper picked that moment to spring at them from the other side. The lion took full advantage of their distraction to jump on one of the wolves.
The coyote was the first to jump at me. Dodge kept his wings tight against my legs to keep them out of the way. I swung my sword down and heard a yelp as it sliced into the coyote’s shoulder.
I heard another yelp and looked up in time to see Jasper grab the second wolf by the throat.
I looked down at the coyote growling at me. “Please don’t. Just leave.”
It bared its teeth and lunged.
This time, the sword caught it across the throat. I felt the warm spray of blood and closed my eyes, trying to keep the tears from flooding out of them.
“Come here, Shlova.” Jasper pulled me off of Dodge and hugged me to his chest. “There’s not much you can do if you’re defending yourself. You warned him.”
“I know.” I swallowed hard. “But he was just following orders. What were they doing this far from their border?”
“I imagine they were looking for you.” He smoothed my hair.
“What about the other two?”
His silence was enough of an answer.
The lion had shifted and turned into a man with dirty blond hair and blue eyes. He was a couple inches shorter than Jasper and thicker in build. He looked to be in his early t
wenties. He cupped his hands to his mouth.
“Leslie!” He looked around wildly. “There was another wolf. He pulled her away. Leslie!”
“Alex! Over here!”
The man shifted and bound in the direction of the call. Jasper followed suit with Dodge and I just a few steps behind them.
We rode up and found Alex kneeling in the snow, looking over a woman covered in blood.
“No, really. Most of it is his. It’s just my arm where he grabbed me.” She was cradling her left arm with her right. Leslie was quite a sight to see and I tried not to stare. She had short hair that spiked up in every direction. It was a dark grey color with lighter grey highlights. Her eyes were a deep violet color. Her skin was black as coal.
“Could I have a look?” I swung off of Dodge and knelt beside her.
She looked at me with wide eyes before nodding.
Her arm was a mess. The wolf had bit down on the arm just below the shoulder and had proceeded to drag her away. The struggle had ripped the muscles as well as the skin.
“I can fix it, if you’d like.”
She nodded again before leaning her head against Alex’s shoulder and closing her eyes.
I pulled the green waves over her arm.
She gave a small cry of shocked pain as everything mended. Alex gave me a nod before pulling her into his lap. “Are you sure you’re alright? It was just the arm?”
She nodded but kept her eyes closed. “Just give me a minute. That was just a bit too close for comfort. If I hadn’t had my knife in my boot, he would have had me.”
Jasper had pulled the dead man into a thicket and came to stand beside me.
Alex’s eyes widened and he stood quickly, Leslie still in his arms. “Captain.”
I started to laugh and Jasper grinned. “I really don’t think I’m a captain anymore considering the Queen has an order out for our arrest.”
Alex opened his mouth then shut it again. “I know, sir. But I’m not here for that, sir.”
“Just Jasper will do, Alex.”
“Yes, sir.”
I noticed Leslie had opened her eyes and was watching me. Alex had set her down. She was the same height as him. I smiled at her.
“So you’re her.” She smiled back at me then looked to Alex. “I knew you’d find her eventually.”
Journey 'The Chosen One Trilogy: Book Two' Page 7
