Song of Resurgence (Ballads of Mae Book 2)

by Salem Cross

  “We are already healing,” Rylan reassured me. His brows furrowed in concern. “Mae, you used an enormous amount of power, and you are still conscious. The last time you used even a fraction of this type of magic, you were dying. How is this possible?”

  “She has been practicing with it and meditating. She has built up endurance,” Jasmine answered as she strolled over to us. “That was incredible, Mae.”

  Jasmine’s tank top was torn and covered in debris. Her dark hair was windblown, her red eyes were blazing with excitement, and when she threw back her head to laugh, it was filled with euphoria. She was as stunning as she was crazy. How could someone who had just faced monsters be so relaxed? She must have seen the confusion on my face.

  “I have been in many battles, Mae,” she said, “but this one was, no is different. I enjoyed the fight, and now I can bathe in the feeling of success.”

  Behind her Camille, Devon and Ashe approached us. I tensed in Rylan’s arms. What trouble were we about to deal with now? Behind us, commotion drew my attention away from the advancing Guardians. I watched in fascination as the Guardians who had taken off right after the fight were now handling the fire that had started in several different places over the house. They worked as a team, passing buckets of water to each other. Someone had found a garden hose and was hosing down the deck.

  “Mae, what you did tonight was incredible,” Devon said, bringing my attention back to the group of Guardians before me. “The second attack against us was unforeseen and quite frankly, undefeatable. Without the protection you provided for us, we would have had to flee, which is not in our nature. From what I just overheard, you risked your well-being to help us. For that, I owe you. No longer are you my enemy, but a fellow warrior who I will gladly stand next to in battle.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I felt the heat in my cheeks rise as his glower relaxed. Next to him Camille and Ashe exchanged glances. With a deep sigh, Camille turned to look at me.

  “I agree with Devon,” she said. “You helped us tonight. One of us could have seriously been injured or even killed. Please accept my gratitude.”

  Unable to keep from pointing out the obvious, I blurted out, “You guys, you all came to rescue me. Whatever these things are,” I said and waved my hand at the head that still lay on the ground, “came after me, and you were there to stop them so thank you. I know you’re not a fan of me and could have easily let them kill me.”

  “While we may despise you, so far you are innocent of any wrongdoing. We protect the innocent people of this world,” Devon responded.

  The look upon his face made me think that he had sucked on a lemon. I almost laughed. Okay so a friendship between Devon and I didn’t look bright, but at least he seemed to have a moral code, so maybe he wouldn’t stab me in the back the moment he got the chance.

  “They are called gargoyles,” Rylan informed me while he pinned Devon with a glare.

  I gaped at him, unable to handle what I heard. I turned and looked at the stone head. With everything else I had seen so far these past few weeks this should have been easy to accept, but for some reason, my mind wouldn’t wrap around it. So, I let it drop.

  “What is important now, is to prepare for the next attack,” Jasmine interjected.

  “Agreed,” Rylan said with a nod. “We need to begin setting up night watches. Marking our territory has done nothing to help us in detecting danger. We need to be alert and ready for anything.” He glanced up at the cabin, and I followed his gaze. The small fires that had been burning were now out, and the other Guardians had disappeared into the house. “We should reconvene with the others and discuss our next steps.”

  With that, we headed inside. Instead of gathering with the others right away, Rylan took me upstairs to our room. The moment the door shut behind us, Rylan placed me on my feet. While I was relieved that I could stand on my own, I was surprised when pain shot up my leg, and my ribs protested. I gripped my sides with a hiss. Before I had a chance to pull my shirt off, Rylan was already there doing it for me. He sucked in a sharp breath as the fabric of my shirt fell to the floor.

  I looked down and found massive bruises already forming across my stomach and chest. Between both collarbones was a perfect hand shaped bruise where the gargoyle had pinned me down. I was bleeding in a few spots, and there were welts on my skin where the acid snow had settled. Rylan reached down and ripped off my jeans, and we both stared down at the dark marks that marred my skin all over my legs.

  Rylan’s gaze met mine. I saw his fear and concern before I felt it through our bond.

  “Rylan, I’m fine,” I assured him quickly.

  “I am not leaving your side again. If I had been…” he whispered. His voice was twisted in agony and anger.

  “The attack still would have happened,” I interrupted firmly. “Let me get changed. I won’t look so gruesome with clean clothes.”

  He may have let me walk away, but when I turned my leg buckled and a shooting pain caused me to hiss. Automatically, he scooped me up and carried me to the bathroom. He placed me on the counter and began administering first aid.

  First, he placed a kiss on each wound. After a kiss, he gently lapped at each bloody spot. He did this with each cut. His lips trailed across my face as he leaned forward to place a kiss on a particularly tender spot right under my eye. His hands rubbed up and down my arms in a soothing gesture.

  By the time he had finished, my body was craving his. I shuddered as he pulled away, and I saw the same raging desire there in his face. He leaned forward and touched my lips with his. I moaned against him before I wrapped my legs around his waist. His tongue slipped inside my mouth, seeking a passionate dance with mine. He pressed his hips into the junction between my hips, and I felt how hard he was for me.

  As much as I wanted him, there was something I needed to do before we let everything else fall by the wayside and got lost in each other’s embrace. I forced myself to pull away from Rylan. My whole body seemed to protest, and it took a great deal more self-control than I thought I had. He frowned when I put a hand on his chest to keep the distance between us.

  “We need to go downstairs and speak with the others.”

  “The others can handle whatever needs to be taken care of,” Rylan assured me.

  “I’m sure they can,” I said with a nod. “But I need to be down there, too. I don’t want to seem like some dead weight that can’t contribute to anything. We escaped for a bit so I could gather myself, but I want to show that I haven’t been scared off and that my mate doesn’t need to coddle me each time something bad happens.”

  Rylan made a face. “Fuck what they think of you. And what if I want to coddle you?”

  I giggled. “Coddle me when we’re done talking to everyone.”

  “I am going to do much more than that when we are alone again,” Rylan promised with a seductive smile.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Rylan

  By the time we reconvened with the others, I could tell the atmosphere in the house had changed dramatically. Most of the hostility that had been building towards my mate had been redirected to our true foe. When Mae and I walked into the small office where everyone was studying a map of the park, the room went silent. My beautiful mate, still limping, walked in with her head high and did not waver under the gaze of the warriors before her.

  I took over for Arthur, who had been leading the discussion about security and how we should prepare for another attack. There was no question that our unknown foe would try to strike at us again. If our foe had any doubt before about Mae’s ability to stop them, all doubts were likely vanquished now.

  The group was humbled. I could sense it as we talked. Some of these Guardians had not seen battle in quite a while, and during the fight, it had shown. Last night had also put Mae in a new light for them. Seeing her in action had filled me with pride. Her bravery and determination had not only stopped our foe but gained her respect among the other warriors. Her retaliation had b
een powerful, and she had remained completely in control. If there had been any question about her origins before, there were none now. The ability to push back an attack of that magnitude was unheard of. But despite the certainty of her lineage and proof that she could indeed be dangerous, the intensity of hate and distrust from the Guardians had significantly decreased. Since we only had four weeks left and were no closer to finding the “false one,” that was an excellent turn of events. We all needed to be on the same page, and finally, it seemed we were getting there.

  By the time we had gone to bed, the air seemed to have cleared, to my considerable relief.

  What I had not anticipated was the sudden interest from the Guardians in Mae. The next morning, Mae and I were followed outside by a handful of warriors who wanted to watch us train. If Mae was bothered by the small gathering, she did not mention it. She used blasts of her energy this morning more offensively than defensively. She was able to set plants on fire deliberately and even managed to hit four of the five targets I had created with her lightning. Her victorious grins and occasional quirk of her eyebrow when she bested me sent surges of desire through me.

  But despite her growing control and confidence as we worked, I could see she was stiff with pain. There was nothing I could do for the bruises that had darkened overnight or the aches in her muscles. Her pain worried me. With Mae injured, it made her more vulnerable. While her injuries would eventually heal, I was concerned that if she pushed herself too hard, she would not recover as quickly. So that morning, I cut our session short despite her protests.

  “Rylan, I promise I’m fine.” Mae sighed dramatically as we headed back to the house.

  “I intend to make sure you stay that way. We do not need to push you today after you overexerted yourself last night.”

  I pushed open the front door and allowed her to walk in first. She kicked off her shoes in a huff and began to walk towards the kitchen.

  “But I feel fi—,” she paused. “Wait a minute. I remember!”

  She whirled around to face me. Her gorgeous brown eyes twinkled with excitement. Before I could ask her to elaborate, Camille, who had followed us in while the others lingered outside, beat me to the punch,

  “What are you recalling, Mae?” Her tone was genuinely curious.

  A glance at her face told me that whatever prejudices she’d held against my mate had been put aside.

  “The gargoyles last night. I thought they looked familiar! I remember where I’ve seen them before,” she said with a grin. “Rylan, when we went to lunch after we stopped at the Nature Center, we passed this old abandoned town. The only place open was this really old looking gas station that looked like it was built into the rocky hillside. I noticed a few statues sitting higher up on the hill and remembered thinking how out of place they looked. The statues were identical to the gargoyles we fought last night!”

  “Then, that is where we need to go look,” Gabriel said, coming down the stairs. He must have overheard our conversation.

  “What if they’re not there anymore?” she asked.

  “Gargoyles usually protect places that hold something of value. They must return to the spot their creator designated them to stay when they are not in battle. If you saw one perched somewhere, it will have to return there once it has completed its master’s orders,” I explained to Mae as Ashe, who had been in the family room, walked over to join us.

  “So the gargoyles I saw must be guarding something,” Mae said. “I wonder what it is? Hopefully it’s something that will help us solve the mystery of who’s trying to open the gates. It’s not anywhere close to where Zyroe and Autumn had warned us to look though.”

  “I think it is safe to assume the gargoyles you saw and the ones that attacked us last night are working for the same person,” Jasmine said as she leaned over the second story loft’s balcony. “When my group scouted the southern end of the park that Zyroe showed you, we noticed subtle movement along the slopes of the mountains. When we went to check it out, there was nothing there, but it was rocky, which would make it easy for a gargoyle to blend in. Since none of us had expected a gargoyle in such a remote place, I would not have thought to look for signs of one.”

  “We need to go and check out both areas,” I told them. “Gather the others. We need to split up and figure out what gargoyles are doing in both places.”

  Jasmine nodded and disappeared out of sight to find the others inside the house while Camille turned and left to grab the Guardians who were still outside.

  “Hold on, Rylan. You and Mae were several hundred miles away from Jasmine and her team. That is a massive distance between the two locations,” Gabriel pointed out with a frown. “Why would our foe spread themselves so thinly?”

  “Who says they are spread thin?” Ashe offered thoughtfully. “Maybe he has many working under him that we do not know about. Maybe our unknown foe is hiding things all over the Alberta providence. They could be hiding weapons, housing warriors, collecting provisions…Who knows?”

  Camille returned with the others. It did not take long for everyone to gather together. Someone had grabbed the map of the park and a map of the entire providence of Alberta and tacked it to the wall in the family room so everyone could see. I stood before everyone, waiting for them to settle down. Mae had grabbed an apple and situated herself next to my mother and father. She appeared completely at ease between the two warriors.

  My family. My heart swelled with pride. I glanced at Mae’s apple and frowned.

  You need to eat more than that, I scolded.

  Mae rolled her eyes. Later.

  You will forget, I pushed.

  I’m not going to make a commotion in the kitchen while we plan for battle, Mae retorted.

  I raised a brow. Are you expecting a fight?

  Well, yeah. She frowned. We’re looking for trouble, and I’m sure we’ll find it.

  “This will be a covert mission,” I said out loud for everyone to hear while I glared at Mae. I turned my attention to the masses. “We have two leads that will hopefully give us some direction regarding where our enemy may be hiding. We must split into three groups. This means we will be walking into possibly dangerous situations with small numbers. If you can avoid detection and engaging in battle, do so. We are looking for anything that will give us insight to our enemy’s plans.

  “The first sighting of a gargoyle was here,” I turned and pointed to the map of Alberta, in the area where the gas station was located. “The elevation varies tremendously for miles. They will see us before we see them if we try to fly in. We will need to drive there. The second group will go here, towards the southern tip of the park around the base of the mountains. Once you get close, you will need to stay hidden in the shadows the woods provide. If there is a gargoyle on the mountain, we can assume there will be more, and they will see you all arrive unless you come around from here,” I pointed.

  “Where do you want the third group?” Bishop asked.

  “Here,” I answered. I looked at Mae, but before I could continue, she cut me off.

  “Don’t you dare say to stay with me, because I’m definitely coming with you guys. It’s non-negotiable.”

  I glared at her while a handful of Guardians laughed out loud at her defiance. I turned my glare towards them, which only caused more laughter. I sighed; I had already learned my lesson by leaving Mae behind. In any case, I wanted her by my side.

  “No, you will be with me,” I assured her. “You have certainly proven that you can handle yourself. The reason we need a third group is because there could be another attack while we are gone. There needs to be a small group here to intercept any danger. If someone is hiding something of value where these gargoyles are located, hopefully we will find it, and it will tell us who is behind the madness in this area.

  “Keep a sharp eye out for anything. We could potentially find Zein, Cain, and Ekon’s murderer with the information we gather today. Stay vigilant of your surroundings. There is no telling w
hat danger could be hiding in plain sight in each of these locations. At the first sign of trouble, fall back. Do not engage. This is simply a recon mission. We will reconvene and discuss our findings and go from there. Now, let us split into groups and head out as soon as possible. We do not have time to waste.”

  ***

  Three hours later, I could see the small gas station Mae had mentioned come into view. We had another ten minutes before we arrived, but the tension in the truck began to climb. Diane sat in the passenger seat, her eyes already scanning the rocky hillside for danger. Behind me, Mae sat quietly. I could feel her excitement and anxiety as surely as I could feel my own. Next to her Jasmine read aloud the text messages coming in from group two.

  In the car behind us, Nikolas and Gabriel hung back. I heard Mae shift, and suddenly her hand was on my shoulder. She said nothing, but she did not need to. Her need to have a physical connection as we drew closer to possible danger was something I could understand.

  A few minutes later, we pulled into the old gas station. The convenience store that was part of the hill had paint peeling off it, the windows were filthy from dirt, and the signs that hung on the other side of the glass had long since faded.

  “I don’t see the gargoyles.” The disappointment in Mae’s voice carried through the car.

  “That does not mean they are not here somewhere,” Diane assured her.

  I pulled up to a pump and turned the car off. Without hesitation, all four of us climbed out. I walked around the car to fill up the gas tank while Jasmine came to stand next to me. My mother and Mae hooked arms and walked into the store together. To the store clerk, we would look like tourists just passing through. The other car of warriors drove by. They would be parking nearby but out of sight. We would see them soon enough.

  I am heading around the store to start the climb, Jasmine informed me. I nodded, and the Guardian casually strolled off, appearing to be interested in the area. When the tank was full, I pulled the truck around to the side of the gas station where there were no cameras and parked.