Guardians of Vesturon 2 - Resurrection

by Hargrove, A. M.

  Resurrection

  Book 2 of The Guardians of Vesturon Series

  By

  A.M. Hargrove

  Copyright 2012 A.M. Hargrove

  Smashwords Edition

  Smashwords Edition License Notes:

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without written permission of the author.

  Acknowledgments

  I would once again like to thank my family for supporting me throughout this venture. I couldn’t have done it without them, especially my husband. I’d also like to thank my friends and the other readers that read Survival and were patient for Resurrection to come out. Without those kinds of fans and their encouragement, Resurrection would never have made it from my head to my Mac. And finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t thank my beta readers (Alexia, Tana and Terri) for giving me their honest opinions and suggestions.

  For more information on The Guardians of Vesturon, please visit me at

  www.amhargrove.com

  www.amhargrove.blogspot.com

  www.twitter.com/amhargrove1

  www.facebook.com/guardiansofvesturon

  For T.A.C. (since you felt left out of Survival and yes, in my next book, I will name a villain after you), for McIntyre (because I modeled Maddie’s singing ability after yours), and for Henry (just because!)

  Contents

  Part One

  ~ Maddie’s Rescue ~

  Part Two

  ~ The Trial ~

  Part Three

  ~ The Academy ~

  Part Four

  ~ Rescue ~

  Part One

  ~ Maddie’s Rescue ~

  Prologue

  Maddie distinctly heard her father telling her, “Maddie, you must decide what you want to do. You may come with us, or you may return to your other place. You can’t delay any longer. If you don’t decide soon, the decision will be made for you, and there will be no turning back. But, if you want my opinion, I think it would be a wiser choice if you went back. Rayn is waiting for you, as well as his family. You also have your destiny to claim. There are great things awaiting you.”

  “But, Dad, I want to do both…stay here with you and Mom, and go back to Rayn.”

  “I know you do, but you must choose one or the other. You can’t have both. Besides, there is much for you to do in your world. There will be time for us later.”

  Maddie sensed she was floating somewhere between her world and the world of the afterlife… pre-heaven, if you will. She had to decide quickly, before the choice would be made for her.

  In that split second, she knew what she must do. Rayn was waiting for her, and she couldn’t imagine any kind of life without him. She must return…

  ********

  Maddie knew she was dying. Her life started to flash before her. She had visions of running down the soccer field, scoring a goal, eating her mother’s yummy, homemade, sticky cinnamon rolls, standing in her foyer listening to the police tell her father that her mother had been killed in a car accident. Each vision was disturbingly clear—as if it was happening again.

  She saw with clarity her father in the hospital shortly after he had died. She desperately wanted to reach out and touch him. It brought back the memory of the pain of losing him. Her tears were freely flowing, and she didn’t try to stop them.

  Next, came her visions of Cat and her other roommates at Western Carolina University, and then, finally, Rayn—tall, dark, and beautiful Rayn, her kind and loving soulmate.

  Her thoughts of Rayn were all consuming. He was the one she opened her eyes to when she regained consciousness in the caves of the Nunne’hi, the Spirit People who brought her back to life after her first encounter with the psychopath. Rayn was the one whose beautiful eyes helped to comfort her. Rayn was the one who brought meaning back into her life.

  She saw him laughing while running with her and splashing in the ice-cold stream afterwards. Then, she felt his arms cradling her while he carried her to the healer on Vesturon after her injury. She saw them both at their favorite spot on the mountain, sitting by the campfire. Then, she felt his warm lips capture hers.

  Next, her thoughts took her to the compound of the Guardians in the mountains of North Carolina. It is there that she met and fell in love with Rayn’s siblings. Therron was tall, more so than even Rayn, and he had a head full of shaggy brown hair. He was handsome—but in a carefree, tousled way.

  Rykerian, another brother, was the most handsome thing Maddie had ever seen. His hair was stunning; it had every color in it known to man. Copper, bronze, blond, sienna and chestnut—it shimmered and glistened and was utterly mesmerizing. Rykerian was amazingly beautiful.

  Then, there was Tesslar. He wasn’t quite as tall as the others and was of a slighter build, but he, too, was handsome nonetheless. His eyes were vividly blue, like Rykerian’s, his hair was dark, and he had an easygoing nature that was captivating.

  The youngest of the brothers was Xarrid. He didn’t care much for Maddie because he blamed her for Rayn’s imprisonment. He thought Rayn had used poor judgment and put the family at risk.

  Lastly, the only female of the siblings was Sharra. She and Maddie had become best friends. They shared everything and were nearly inseparable. Sharra was the most beautiful girl Maddie had ever seen. She was tall and lean with long, silken, black hair and eyes so blue that they looked like the sky on a crisp autumn day. As an only child, Maddie was in heaven with her newfound family.

  Her thoughts took her back to Rayn, her lifesaver. He came for her after her first injury. He risked everything in his world to see her whole again. Her mind drifted back to when she fell off the mountain trail, crushed her spine, and severed her spinal cord. Rayn rescued her then and later took her to Vesturon, his home planet, to be healed. She chuckled when she thought of how he told her he was an alien and how she thought he was trying to pull a fast one on her. But… he wasn’t kidding. He was from a different planet, and she had a healed spine to prove it.

  They were meant to be together; they both knew it. She had suffered great guilt for what he had done for her. He was now trapped in a prison on Vesturon awaiting trial. He had done the unthinkable. He had broken one of their most sacred covenants by taking a human to Vesturon. It was strictly forbidden, but he did it anyway—for her! He loved her deeply and couldn’t bear to see her suffer through life as a paraplegic. He knew the consequences of his actions, and the worst part of it all was that he was to inherit his father’s kingdom as the Great Leader of Vesturon. Now, they were both hoping they wouldn’t make him spend the rest of his life imprisoned.

  How had this happened to her? She was now at the mercy of Darryl Carter, a psychopath that wanted her dead. This was the second time he had abducted her. The first time culminated in her severed spinal cord, not to mention the other injuries she sustained when he shot her with his crossbow. Here she was again, literally nailed to the ground beneath her and the tree behind her. He had somehow captured her again and used his nasty weapon on her. The arrows went through her thigh and chest. He had beaten her mercilessly. She knew she had internal injuries from the pain she was experiencing. Her only hope now was that Rayn had heard her thoughts a
s she called out to him. Maddie knew it was her last straw.

  The fact that her soul had returned here, to her body, lifted her spirits. She must fight and cling to life. She was tough; her past showed her that. She could do this!

  Suddenly, she became cognizant that Rayn was around her. She felt his presence and started hearing his voice in her head. She heard him screaming for his brothers! She knew help was on the way! She could hear his thoughts!

  She had her confirmation moments later. In the distance, she saw the balls of light flying toward her. Seconds later, two of Rayn’s brothers, Rykerian and Therron materialized in front of her. She would survive! She would live to see Rayn again!

  Chapter 1

  Darryl Carter was watching her and enjoying himself immensely. Red—his nickname for Maddie—had been his best victim so far. She was so perfect in all her actions. He even liked those little whimpers and whines she was making. He’d let her sit like that for a while. He thought about his next shot and where he wanted it to be. He had already put one in her thigh and one above her clavicle. He laughed as he thought how ingenious he was… the crucifixion of Red! Maybe his next shot would be to her other leg; or better yet, maybe he’d stretch her arm up and put one in there right through to the tree. Yeah, he kind of liked that idea. She was lots of fun, this one. He loved that feistiness of hers.

  The weirdest thing happened next. Two balls of light flew toward him from the distance. If he hadn’t looked up at that moment, he probably would have missed them. He was glad he caught them though as they were an awesome sight. Maybe they were falling stars—meteors or something. They soared across the sky with great speed. If Darryl could have known what they really were, he would have taken off running and never looked back.

  Darryl was mesmerized. The bright glowing orbs were beautiful, and they continued to come closer and closer. Then, five feet in front of Red, the balls of light suddenly stopped and hovered there momentarily. Darryl was amazed and stupefied. He had never seen such a thing before. Suddenly, the two orbs elongated and turned into two of the biggest dudes Darryl had ever seen. Things weren’t looking so good anymore.

  ********

  Therron and Rykerian materialized directly in front of Maddie. What they saw was bone-chilling. At first glance, they weren’t sure if they had arrived in time to save her. She did not appear to be breathing. Her face had been beaten to the point of distortion; it was swollen, bloodied, and unrecognizable. A few feet to the left of Maddie stood her abductor. His gaze snapped back and forth between the brothers. They made an impressive team—tall, dressed in the traditional black uniform of the Guardians, and fully armed with weapons of mass destruction unknown to any human.

  They were dressed identically in solid black. Their shirts and pants were form fitting, and their boots came up to their knees. They wore long black capes, and their hands and wrists were strapped with unusual looking apparatuses. Darryl didn’t quite know what to make of them.

  “Rykerian, take care of Maddie,” Therron growled with undisguised rage. “I will handle the human.”

  Therron turned toward Darryl. “Tell me who you are and why you have done such a thing to her.” His tone was vicious.

  “I’m a hunter, and it’s what I do. If I were you, I’d back away and leave here, or else, you might end up looking like her.”

  Darryl was not backing down. His Red—as he liked to think of her—had gotten away from him once. That was NOT going to happen again.

  “You do not know of what you speak. This female has done nothing to you, and yet your cruelty toward her is beyond belief. That is not acceptable to us. Now, tell me this instant why you have done this terrible thing to her,” Therron’s anger seething through every pore.

  Darryl wasted no time. He grabbed his crossbow and fired a shot directly at Therron. What happened next defied all logic—in Darryl’s world, that is. The broad band went straight toward the target, hit directly in the kill zone and… bounced off and hit the ground right in front of them. It was almost like it hit an invisible wall.

  Darryl was unaware that the clothing the two men were wearing was constructed of fibers unknown on Earth. They were densely woven, contained temperature-controlling sensors, and were impenetrable to any kind of weaponry on Earth. In other words, the men were completely bullet and arrow proof.

  “What the…?” Darryl released round two. Same results. So he went for three. Now, he was looking at three broadband aluminum arrows lying in the dirt directly in front of him.

  “Who are you? What are you?” Darryl asked with mounting fear.

  Therron, tired of this game, grabbed Darryl by the throat lifting him off the ground and reached into his mind for the answers he sought. Along with incomprehensible strength, Vesturions were born with the preternatural gift of telepathy, so it was a simple matter for Therron to find out what he needed. What he discovered was a convoluted mass of depraved hatred, evil, and other thoughts that left Therron gasping. And, what do you know? Darryl was a serial killer. His vile mind was utterly warped with the violent acts he had committed.

  Since Therron knew he would not get any straight answers from this monster, he decided to deal with him in a different manner. Using his preternatural talent of Command, Therron demanded answers.

  “I command you to answer my questions. Who are you and why have you done these things to her?” Therron demanded to know.

  Darryl, now under Therron’s influence of Command—another preternatural talent Vesturions possessed—just stared at the giant, like a deer in the headlights. He finally said, “My name is Darryl Leon Carter, and I’m with the Special Forces on a mission.”

  “Of what kind of mission do you speak?” Therron asked, recognizing that he was dealing with a psychopath.

  ““I’m on a Special Forces mission for my commander,” Darryl shot back, annoyed at the questions.

  “Who is your commander?” Therron demanded.

  “I don’t know his name, but I am to meet him tomorrow.”

  “Continue.”

  “He paid me $10,000 to make sure she didn’t make it out alive.” Darryl started to laugh. “But he got taken because I would’ve done it for free,” Darryl said, laughing harder.

  “Did he tell you why he wanted her dead?” Therron was still reeling with shock over this maniac.

  “Nope… and I didn’t care. Like I said, I would’ve done it for free. She got away from me once, so she owes me.”

  Therron put the pieces together and realized this was the monster that hurt Maddie in the past.

  “Well, Mr. Carter,” Therron began, “I am here to inform you that your mission is now over. You see, that young woman is like my baby sister. You have not only hurt her once, but you have hurt her twice. I do not like it at all, Mr. Carter, when someone hurts my baby sister. Do you understand me? So, I am just going to have to do something about that,” Therron said viciously.

  Therron extended his arm in Darryl’s direction and pointed to his shadar—the weapons that were strapped to his hands. “You see this? Well, Mr. Carter, right now, you are wondering what I am doing.”

  “How did you know—?”

  Before Darryl could finish his question, Therron interrupted him by saying, “Mr. Carter, I hate to tell you this, but I can read your mind. That’s right. I am aware of every nasty, disgusting thought you’ve had. And please, my baby sister’s name is not Red.”

  Therron circled Darryl like a predator getting ready to strike his prey.

  “Let me tell you something, Darryl Leon Carter. You should be extremely scared right now. Oh, I see you are beginning to feel a little fear, are you not?” Therron commented, delving into Darryl’s mind.

  He held up his arm pointing to his shadar and continued, “Where I come from, this little device on my hand can wreak more havoc than the worst kind of weapon your military has in its arsenal. That’s right, Darryl. We are talking bigger than your nuclear warheads, and guess what? You are going to experience firs
thand, exactly what it can do. Go ahead, Darryl. Try to run away. I know you want to. I can promise you, though that you shall not get very far,” Therron goaded.

  Darryl made a move to try to run away from him, but Therron held up his arm and said, “Immobilize.”

  A large, distorted bubble-like cloud was released from the shadar, the device that was attached to his hand and wrist. The cloud descended over Darryl, completely enveloping him. He could still be seen, although the bubble gave him a blurry, warped appearance.

  “Now try to run, Darryl. Go ahead. Give it a shot,” Therron taunted.

  Darryl found himself locked within the bubble, unable to escape. His panic gripped him like jaws of steel.

  He started screaming, yelling obscenities, begging Therron to release him.

  “It does not feel very good to be held prisoner, does it Darryl? No? I thought not. You know what we do to people like you? Where I come from, we tear them apart…piece by piece! So now, I just want you to think about all those young women you killed and their families you devastated. All the time you were having fun playing your sick games, people were suffering. Now, I want you to suffer, Darryl. I want you to squirm the way you made your victims squirm. It is not much fun, is it?”

  Therron was still circling the bubble while he spoke.

  “Now, Darryl, you know when I told you how powerful my little friend here is? Let me give you a tiny demonstration.”

  Therron pointed his shadar at Darryl’s backpack and discharged it. A bolt of energy was released, and it hit his backpack, thoroughly disintegrating it.

  Darryl looked on in horror. Never in his life had he seen anything like it. He had seen a lot of things too, since he been in the military. He’d seen bombs, missiles, heavy artillery, but he’d never seen a weapon that could literally dust its target, leaving nothing behind. He was in shock.