Chade

by Montana Ash

  “Oh, since about the time you went into stealth mode.” He winked, grabbing her jacket from the hook as he passed. “Come on, my fiery little Goddess, into the coat. It’s either the two of us … or we go wake up the whole house.” He added warningly, obviously correctly interpreting the gleam in her eyes.

  Figuring she was already pushing her luck that no others in the house had yet heard them, she snatched her coat and opened the door quietly even though she wanted to rip the things from its hinges.

  Damn sneaky paladins!

  *****

  “You’re waiting in the car.”

  “We’re going with you.”

  “You’re waiting in the car.”

  “We’re going with you.” Axel repeated, “Hey, this is fun. I could do this all night.” Axel grinned broadly back at her from the front seat and Max had to resist the urge to twist his ear like a toddler.

  “How about this; I keep my link with you guys open. That way you’ll know if I’m in any danger and you can ride in on your stallions, swords glinting in the firelight, saving my tender, virtuous self from the dastardly villain.” Her voice was like syrup but she knew her eyes were not. She was wasting time.

  “Don’t get mouthy Max.” Axel warned, all semblance of frivolity gone. “Do you know how many rules we’re already breaking for you? What do you think Ryker is going to do to us in the morning when he finds out we left the house without him?”

  She lowered her head at that. He was right but when the shame wanted to slither in she reminded herself that she was doing this for Dex and Cali and her tiny little nephew who was growing safe and snug … which really meant she was doing it for all of them. They were all family.

  “How did you get past Ry anyway?” Beyden asked. “You didn’t use any Custodian mojo on him, did you?”

  “I guess that’s one way to put it … I fucked him into unconsciousness.”

  “Good God, Max!” Bey’s ears burned a deep red and she couldn’t help but grin.

  “Awesome.” Axel’s grin kicked up again.

  “You let me worry about your Captain. And I really do appreciate what you’re doing but I really do need just ten minutes with my contact. I swear to you, I will call for you if he so much as breathes wrong in my direction.”

  “He? Who exactly are you meeting?” Questioned Beyden.

  “Nikolai.”

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  Max let out a breath as she walked into Dave’s Dive. The only other occupant was an elderly fellow snoring quite comfortably in the corner which meant she wasn’t late. Dave was in his usual position behind the scarred bar … polishing glasses that were already clean. She walked across the ancient floorboards and parked her butt in the same stool she had all those months ago and couldn’t help marvelling over the drastic changes in her life since. The first time she had sat there she had been miserably sick physically and bone-tired mentally. A comforting sea breeze had also brought with it three handsome strangers that had turned out to be the brothers she never had. She traced her finger over an especially deep scar in the once rich mahogany of the bar and sighed in sentiment. Turns out she loved this scarred piece of wood in this derelict, hole-in-the-wall pub.

  “Getcha somethin’?”

  The gruff words returned her focus to the present and to the hairy bartender that had somehow managed to worm his way into her affections as well. He was a solid, grizzled fellow with a pelt of fur covering every expanse of exposed skin. His mono-brow was a thing of art and disconcerted her greatly as it seemed to move independently, as if it were sentient or something. But despite the fact that he was a big, hairy bastard and owned a bar deliberately called a ‘dive’, he was a good guy. And a loyal one to boot. After spending some time there getting drunk and also on a few occasions of down time, she had realised that he had some kind of long-standing friendship with her man. So much so, that Ryker had told her to go to Dave’s if she were ever in trouble and he would help her. He hadn’t extrapolated much more at the time and she had been a touch beyond tipsy so she hadn’t pressed for more information. Eyeing him now, Max wished she would have asked some more questions.

  “Ice … with some vodka, please.” She finally answered in response to his earlier question. He grunted as he moved to grab a shiny glass – he was a man of few words, very few. Which is why she was so surprised when he spoke again;

  “On your own tonight? Where’s your horde?”

  “My horde?” She smiled, “I like that. I’m flying solo tonight. Sometimes a girl needs some alone time.”

  “Alone time my arse.” He narrowed his eyes as the door opened, bringing with it a hint of sea air … and one very tall and very built Ranger. Ivy had told her that Nikolai was the man to talk to. Apparently, he was a good friend to Ivy as well as being her superior and Ivy trusted him. That was good enough for Max.

  The Commander of the rangers sure was a vision, Max acknowledged silently. He exuded masculine power with every long stride, his lean but muscled body ate up the distance to the bar in no time. He had brown eyes that rivalled her own man’s, short-cropped brown hair and a goatee that managed to make him look sinister and hip at the same time. He took a seat next to her and held up one finger – the apparently universal, non-verbal sign language for a shot of whiskey.

  Max picked up her own drink in order to stop her eyes bugging out at the man … and promptly spat it back out. She scowled at Dave; “This is water.”

  “And?” The creepy caterpillar on his forehead rose half an inch.

  She scowled, “And I ordered vodka.”

  Dave picked up a clean glass and whipped the white rag off his shoulder, “You’re in here at one thirty in the morning without your man. In walks some wannabe hippy biker. You’re drinking water.”

  She was left uncharacteristically speechless as Dave ambled to the other side of the bar to complete his polishing ritual.

  “Friend of yours?”

  Max finally closed her mouth and turned to meet Nikolai’s eyes for the first time. “Apparently.” She muttered. She wondered if Ryker had put the hard word on Dave to make sure she was looked after when she was in the bar or whether the bartender had taken it upon himself. Either way it was just what she needed; another testosterone-filled protector.

  “Do I really look like a wannabe hippy biker?”

  The pouty question startled Max into a laugh – Nikolai’s masculine outrage was plain to hear. She eyed his dark denim jeans, black biker boots, leather jacket and silver earring hanging from his left ear. He looked more like a hot biker pirate to Max but she wasn’t about to say so out loud. His apparently amiable demeanour was a little surprising. The Rangers were the boogeymen of the warden society and they were notorious for their cutthroat natures and lack of warmth and compassion. But as she let her ‘second sight’ free and saw his soul emerge on the stool next to him, she saw he was anything but. His soul was a delightful starburst of warm autumn colours and was decidedly … jolly, she thought. It even gave her a cheeky salute as she gaped.

  “Yoo hoo. Are you with me?” The Ranger in question waved a sturdy hand in front of her eyes before picking up her drink and sniffing it. “Are you sure this is just water?” He grinned at her before replacing her glass onto the bar.

  “Why are you a Ranger? It doesn’t suit you at all.” She blurted out, unthinkingly.

  His smile faded instantly as he glanced to his right as if seeing what Max was seeing before turning back to her. “Because someone has to be. Because I can handle it. Because I don’t like bullies. Take your pick.” He listed for her. “But I don’t think you asked me here to quiz me about my career choice.”

  Max shook her head; dammit Max! Get your head out of your arse! She lectured internally. “You’re right, I didn’t. And I apologise – that was rude of me.” She saw his eyebrows skyrocket and she tilted her head, “My apology surprises you?”

  “Well, yeah.” He shrugged, causing his leather jacket to creak appealingly, “As I underst
and it, you take great pleasure in being rude.”

  Now it was Max’s turn to be surprised – and it wasn’t a pleasant one either. “I do not!” Good God, is that really what the public perception of her was? She was suitably horrified. “Is that really what people think? You know what, never mind.” Max rushed on, not really wanting to hear his answer. “I assure you, I do not take pleasure in being rude – well, most of the time I don’t anyway. Why am I explaining myself to you?” She grumbled out.

  “I’ve no idea. You’re a custodian. You don’t need to explain yourself to anyone.”

  “If I’m a fabled custodian why do I need to sneak behind the council for secret meetings? Why don’t they just do what I tell them without question?” She asked.

  He sipped his drink, eyeing her over the rim. “Do you want them to?”

  Max snorted, “Fuck no!”

  He smiled, brown eyes lighting up, “But you do want them to listen to you in regards to a certain chade.”

  “He’s not a chade.” Max’s denial was instant.

  “Are his eyes black?”

  “Yes.” Sometimes …

  “Does he bleed when wounded?”

  “No.” Sometimes …

  “Can he recharge vitality like a normal warden?”

  “No.” Barely …

  “Has he tried to kill you by draining you of your life-force?”

  “Yes.” But she forgave him …

  Nikolai shook his head and upended the contents of his glass. “He’s a chade.”

  Max didn’t bother disputing him, nor did she bother correcting his tense into past instead of present … yet. She wanted some more information first. “Ivy says there are degrees of chades; that sometimes the progression is slow.”

  “I didn’t hear a question in there.” The Commander pointed out and Max felt a spurt of adrenalin from the challenge; he was smart and this was going to be fun.

  “It wasn’t a question; it was a statement, a fact. Kind of like this next part; chades aren’t evil beings who choose to become murderers … they’re sick. I believe they can be cured.”

  His swoon-worthy eyes bored into hers as he sipped his whiskey, “Sick, huh? And they can be cured, you say.”

  “Yes.”

  “My powerful deductive reasoning skills allow me to conclude you think the chade currently in residence at your home is one of the ones who can be healed.” He leaned nonchalantly on the bar as if they were having a casual chat between friends rather than deciding the fate of a family member.

  “That’s right. He is no threat. That’s why I wanted to talk with you. I understand you and your team are set to descend on my little slice of paradise. I’m asking you to come peacefully – to meet with Dex and talk with him – rather than attacking first.” She held her breath, hoping Ivy was right in her assessment of her boss.

  He ran his tongue over his teeth in silent contemplation before shaking his head, “Sorry. No can do. I don’t know you and I have no idea what your word is worth. I have a team of people I’m responsible for as well as a duty to the council. When they say ‘jump’ I pretty much say ‘how high’.”

  He was lying. She knew he was lying. He wasn’t the type to follow anyone blindly, just like Ivy. Was he testing her? Well, unfortunately she was just about out of patience. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to find out what happened when she was deliberately rude. “Don’t lie to me. It offends me.” She informed him – and it did. She hated liars.

  He shook his head; “I can’t help you.”

  Growling, because it seemed her stealth mode was a big fat waste of time, she pushed back from the bar and stood. This is what she got when she listened to her Order and tried to be diplomatic. Let the pirate and his rangers come. She’d soon show them the errors of their ways. The hand on her arm had her pausing and arching an eyebrow at the tall man. She let out a tiny jolt of power, no more than millisecond, to get her point across. Smart man as he was, he slowly peeled his hand off her arm.

  “Powerful little thing, aren’t you?” He murmured.

  Suddenly feeling beyond tired, she fell heavily back onto the stool. “So they say.” She picked up her drink, forgetting it was water as she took a healthy swallow. “Fucking piece of shit water!” She fumed, throwing eyes filled with daggers at Dave – who pretended not to hear her. A warm chuckle beside her had her glancing at Nikolai.

  “I think I like you.” He informed her.

  Really? He liked her? And he was still yanking her chain? She blew out a breath; it was a good thing he liked her. Maybe she needed to throw in some more charm. She smiled, “I think I like you too, but …” she paused for a heartbeat before continuing, “if you come after what’s mine, I won’t hesitate to gut you where you stand.”

  “I bet.” He hooked his thumbs in his belt loops. “And what about the council? Would you gut them too? Would you really deny the world of wardens when it is in such need of their vital gifts?”

  She raised her eyes to his and let them swirl with promise and power, “I would see the world rent in half before I would let my family be hurt.” She stood again and spun, her stride confident and determined as she made her way to the exit. She wasn’t wasting any more time.

  “I believe you.”

  Max heard the quietly spoken words and the truth behind them but she didn’t slow or stop. She meant what she said; she did like him, even though he annoyed her with his obtuseness. So she was genuinely hoping he wouldn’t come knocking on her door looking for Dex with his sickle at the ready. Because she had also meant the other thing she had said; the whole world could go to blazes if she couldn’t have her family.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  The robed figures appeared at dawn. Dex had to admit, they presented a formidable and somewhat scary front. Their cloaks were long and dark and their hoods hid their faces. They had their sickles out and were standing at attention at the edge of the driveway. Now familiar with Ivy, he could make out the much shorter ranger at the front with a tall – and also familiar looking – man. The house had been a bit of a shambles that morning, having learnt of Max’s duplicity the evening before. Ryker had roared and raged and Dex had heard him all the way from the gym. An apologetic, but definitely not contrite Max, had managed to calm the situation just by being her. It was hard to stay mad at someone who acted from love and loyalty. She had also taken two of her paladins and it was Ryker’s rule that she has at least two with her at all times. So, she hadn’t really broken any rules – as she had primly informed him.

  Max had divulged the contents of the discussion she’d had with the Commander of the rangers. Dex was humbled and grateful and honoured, and everything else it was possible to feel over her staunch defence of him. It hadn’t surprised him to learn that Nikolai had been a touch shady. Although not a shady character by nature, he was a thinker and a strategist. He would feel the need to scope Max out – and the situation – before making any final plans. He was also a damn fine leader and held the safety of his team in priority. In his past, Dex had actually known the man well. In fact, he had considered himself to be good friends with the Commander of this local branch of the Rangers. He had delivered more chades to Nikolai than he could count. Over time they had begun talking, then swapping war stories, which led to the natural progression of drinking together. You never really knew somebody until you got drunk with them; he had really liked the affable paladin. And he really hoped the man wasn’t here to kill him.

  Relying on their shared familiarity and shared history, he took a step forward. They had discussed what would happen and he had refused to hide behind the good people in this house. The hunting party was here for him. He would take responsibility. He cleared his throat, hoping it didn’t come out gravelly from nerves, “Hi Nik.”

  The rangers appeared a mite startled upon hearing his voice but didn’t break ranks. The tallest member of the party did step forward in a rush and push his hood off his head though. “Charlemagne?!”

  De
x winced, more from the use of his old name than from the incredulous pitch of Nik’s voice. “Hi Nik.” He repeated. Lame, he chastised himself. So lame.

  “What the fuck?!”

  Nikolai’s response made Dex sigh and rub the bridge of his nose with his forefinger. If Nikolai didn’t believe them, he was screwed. Movement caught his attention and he saw Nikolai moving forward in his usual long-limbed grace. Rumbled words from the cloaked peanut gallery behind him had Nikolai throwing back a short but stern command to hold their positions. Dex could tell the other rangers weren’t happy but they heeded the command of their superior. More movement beside and behind him had him smiling slightly; Max’s paladins sure did present an intimidating force of support and strength. It took everything in him not to glance at Cali – he could feel her warmth at his back and he felt himself settle even more. What a miracle she was.

  Apparently Nikolai wasn’t intimidated in the least for he marched right up to him, ignoring all sense of personal boundaries, and … sniffed him. What the hell? “Nik, really?”

  Nikolai took one last whiff at his neck and eased back a measly two inches. “Charlemagne, is it really you?”

  “It’s Dex now.” He corrected automatically.

  Nik grunted at that. “I thought you were a chade?”

  “I told you there were no chades here.” Max pointed out from beside him.

  Nik nodded his head once in assent, acknowledging, “So you did,” before proceeding to poke Dex in the chest – repeatedly.

  Dex made no move to stop the annoying poking but did grumble out a disgruntled; “Come on, man.”

  Nikolai ignored him. “Interesting …” Poke. “… very interesting.” Poke. “You don’t look like a chade … you don’t feel like a chade … do you react like one?” He asked inexplicably before abruptly slapping him across the face – hard!

  Dex felt his neck snap sharply to the side from the force of Nikolai’s slap. He felt Cali stiffen behind him and Darius ready himself to attack. Although he was no longer bonded with him as liege and paladin, Dex would always be able to read his brother. He only hoped they could forge a new relationship after all this was said and done. He glanced over his shoulder just enough to make eye contact with Darius, pleading with his eyes for him to stand down. His brother’s eyes were chilly and his jaw set stubbornly but he nodded minutely. Dex then flicked his eyes to his warrior woman and felt his body stir quite inappropriately. Her arctic blue eyes were flashing with fire and she had her hand gripped on her scythe – although it was still sheathed. He knew she would take Nikolai’s head, consequences be dammed, if he took such liberties again. What a woman. A small shake of his head had her narrowing her eyes and nodding hers. Setting his jaw, much as his brother had, he shook his head again. A huff and breaking of eye contact was his only answer and he hoped it meant she wasn’t about to gut the Commander of the Rangers.