by Lacey Thorn
He knelt before her and placed a soft kiss on her abdomen, on the right side where soon the mark of the Xandova would appear. He pulled back and looked up into her eyes before lifting the weapon against her flesh. Sorran tightened his hold and Alea couldn’t prevent the tightening of the muscles in her stomach.
“With this mark we claim you as our mate, our heart, our beginning and our end. As we provide you with our shelter and protection, so shall you provide us. As we give you pleasure and love, so shall you give us. From this day forward never shall you walk alone again, but always at our side.” With those words Drew placed the cylinder against her flesh. There was a burning sensation, a tingle along her skin as the mark took form.
“It’s Caspian,” she said with awe as she got her first good look at the mark of the Xandova.
“’Tis a lion, little warrior, the sign of the Xandova,” Sorran told her with pride.
“How do you feel?” Drew asked her as he came to his feet in front of her.
“I feel wonderful. I feel alive.” She smiled at him and turned her head to include Sorran in the moment before adding, “Now it is your turn to bear my mark.” She gave a sharp whistle that more than rivaled her mate’s and within seconds Vulcan’s cry filled the air above them.
“With his beak, huh?” Drew asked.
“By biting us?” Sorran questioned.
“It will be a little uncomfortable,” she told them. “But it shouldn’t hurt too badly.”
“I’ll be sure to let you know,” Sorran told her with a grin and Alea let her laughter flow freely, feeling alive and happier than she had ever been in her life. Yes, she was already falling in love with her warriors.
* * * * *
The knife found its mark and the force of it jarred up her arm and into her shoulder and neck. Never before had she stabbed with the intent to kill. Never had she desired to spill the blood of another human. She released her grip on the handle of her ritualistic dagger and watched her mate fall to his knees before her. Gone was the man she had fallen in love with. Gone was the man who had loved her. But still a part of her shattered and once again tears fell like rain from her eyes at the unbearable pain this moment brought with it. Both mates gone, leaving her alone for this last walk. One killed by the hand of the other and one dying by her hand. How had life come to this point for her?
She knew the answer to that all too well. Had not her mother, the island priestess, warned her of what the coming of the Guardians would require? The Goddess of Altair would demand her tribute and she would take it in blood. Yet hadn’t enough of her people died? When would enough be enough? For the first time in her life Asme found herself questioning her very beliefs, the religious foundation of her entire life. She was, after all, the last blood descendent from the goddess. And as such she knew what she must do, the path she must walk to prepare the final way for the rise of the Mystic.
She took a deep breath and let it out as she knelt beside Godar. If only, she began to think but quickly pushed such thoughts from her mind. If only was not an option for her and she had to gather her remaining strength around her to endure what the next few days would hold. She felt the brush of his hand along her arm and glanced down with startled eyes to see Godar looking at her. Gone was the madness that had possessed him. Gone was the anger and resentment that must have been growing inside him for a very long time.
Here was the last remnant of the man she had fallen in love with. Here was the Godar of her heart and soul. Finally, the man who lay before her dying was the mate she loved.
“I always loved you,” he murmured. “But so did he.” He blinked his eyes at her and she gripped his weakening hand tightly between hers. “I brought them here. I helped them to reach our shores and helped them to hide.”
“No,” she shook her head, not wanting to believe any worse of him.
“I wanted to destroy him so badly that I cared little for those who also suffered from my actions.” He smiled sadly at her and as much as she hated to hear his words she knew that he needed to share them with her. “I hoped that if enough of them died, if enough of them lost their mates or daughters or sons, that Micah would crumble and fall. But he never did. He just continued on and fought twice as hard at their sides.”
She couldn’t stem the flow of tears for Micah and for Godar, brothers who should have loved and supported one another. Instead one had been so consumed by jealousy that they had never really had the chance.
“I watched them surround him. It was a note from me that led him there. He came because I asked him to and then I watched as they riddled him with arrows. Finally I saw Micah fall to his knees. Finally the great prince was brought low.” He looked at her and she cried harder at the tears she saw in his eyes, on his cheeks. “And do you know what he said to me when I knelt beside him as he died?”
She shook her head, unable to say anything. Her voice was gone and it was all she could do to stop the sobs from leaving her throat.
“He smiled at me. He told me that he would always love me. Told me that I had been a wonderful brother.” His eyes were a faucet now, the tears streaming unchecked as he shared the last moments of Micah’s life with her. “He told me to tell you that he loved you. He was never happier than the moments he spent with you.” She did sob then, her grief so overwhelming that she could no longer contain it. “Then he told me that he forgave me.” He found her gaze with his and implored her to share the same with him. “He forgave me. Can you forgive me? Can you?”
She shuddered, letting her eyes squeeze tight for one instant before she opened them again. She shook her head sadly, refusing to lie to him even in death. “No. I cannot forgive you. Not only does Micah’s blood stain your hands, but that of many of our warriors and women. The blood of the people, the women and children who shared your life before you even came here.” She shook her head at the horror of all that he had done. “So much blood. So much hate. And for what, Godar? Did it get you what you desired? Did it give you the happiness that you wanted?”
“It led me to you,” his voice was soft and weak and she knew the end was near. “For a brief time I had everything.”
“You could have had it for more than a brief time. I loved you and once I would have died for you.” She leaned over him, demanding his full attention. Anger—she was consumed by it, overflowed with it. “Damn you. Damn you and your hatred. Be glad that Micah could forgive you because I never will. I will never forgive what you took from Micah, what you took from me. But most importantly I will never forgive what you denied yourself by letting this fester and grow until it consumed you.” His blood soaked the earth beneath him and even as she finished speaking she saw the light fade from his eyes and knew that he was gone.
“May you find the peace in death that you denied yourself in life,” she whispered as she closed his eyes. She placed one kiss on his forehead in memory of the love she had once shared with him. She stood on shaky legs, digging deep for strength when all she wanted to do was fall back to her knees and continue weeping.
She threw her head back and screamed her anger at the sky. She screamed with fear and sorrow and a hurt that fractured her very soul. “Damn you,” she cried, shaking her fists. “When will it be enough for you? How much blood do you need? How many must die before we earn the right to the Guardians you promised us?” She shuddered out a harsh breath and dropped her hands back to her sides. “How many more must die?” She whispered the last question, knowing that no answer awaited her. Or at least not one that she wanted to hear. For she could feel the answer in her heart, in the very blood that flowed through her body.
There was one last task to complete before the Mystic would awaken and strengthen the call. And it was a task that Asme must complete alone. With sadness in her heart she took slow steps toward the home she had spent many happy moments in with her mates. Once it had been a temple to the Goddess of Altair and there was still one secret it held from all but the last female of the blood line. Destiny awaited, and w
ith it everything would change.
Chapter Six
Alea floated in the pool, enjoying the soft lap of the water over her skin. They would be leaving the cave today. She knew it, could feel it in her blood like a call from some primal force. She knew where they would head even though it was a part of the island that she had never been before. And she knew that the Xandova would travel with her, protect and keep her safe. She had dreamed it all the night before.
A woman had appeared to her in her sleep. A dream that seemed more. Though she couldn’t recall the woman or anything really about her it was as if her spirit recognized the other woman. And there had been others in the dream as well, three women the same height as her. And all of them had the same green eyes, except for the one who had called them. For some reason she knew that her eyes were different—a shade of blue. Why she recalled that, Alea had no idea. And she was taller. Again just a feeling but she was sure it was right.
They were the Island Guardians. It was as if some hidden part of herself had awakened during the dream, a piece of her that had always been there but was dormant. She had always felt she was different somehow, and not just because of the way she dressed or the lack of feminine guidance early in her life. The air had always seemed thicker around her. And Vulcan, her first friend. A flying bird of prey that was almost like a second part of her.
She knew Willow, the Guardian of Water. Alea had met her at the last camp, the one where the prince had been killed. She had watched Willow use her powers to control the water and send boats away from their island. She had watched and felt a stirring in her own blood. The roar of air, the feel of it not just on her skin but in her skin. And the feeling had only been growing over the last few days.
The woman in the dream had told her that it was time to awaken and embrace who she was. She had shown Alea what power lay within. In the dream Alea had whispered a chant to the Goddess of Altair and invoked her power. The rush of wind had been like nothing she had ever known. Around and over and inside her it rushed with a power that was consuming. Vulcan had flown high in the sky above and with a few words she had been able to see as if she were looking through his eyes.
And there was more, so much more to the power that she had. She could control the wind, control and contort the very air around her. Powerful gusts that could lift and destroy the earth and trees and anything that was in its path. And she could control it, could wield it like a warrior’s sword. And she had. In the dream they all had. Four of them, united as one in a circle. Each called unto the goddess, invoking that power which she had been gifted.
And together. Together they were unstoppable. They were all to travel to the same spot and perform some type of ceremony. It was imperative that they all leave soon, before the rising of the next moon. Time was of the essence. And they must take care to arrive safely. For if even one of them were to fail to arrive, then everything would change and the island would be doomed to war and death. Until no one was left to fight.
She felt a ripple in the water and knew without opening her eyes that one of her warriors had joined her. He grabbed her ankle and floated her across the surface of the water until she lay just in front of him. Hands brushed up her thighs, lightly over her cunt and higher still to cup her breasts and fondle her ripening nipples. She sighed with awakening desire and opened her eyes to smile at Sorran. His hands were so different from Drew’s. Or at least to her they were. His touch was softer somehow.
“I wondered if either of you would miss me,” she exhaled as his hands continued to work magic on her body. One strong arm circled under her hips, keeping them above the water and in his view.
“I knew the moment you slipped from between Drew and me,” he whispered, bending over to kiss her softly on the lips. His tongue glided over her bottom lip before dipping between them to taste her. Slowly he released her from his kiss, using his hands to lift her so that she was upright in front of him. He cupped her hips and she wrapped her legs around his hips.
“I’ve been here for a while,” she murmured.
“I thought you might need a few minutes to soak away what aches you might have from yesterday. We weren’t exactly easy on you, little warrior.”
She grinned up at him. “And I enjoyed every moment of it.”
She gasped as he moved one big hand between her spread thighs and slipped two fingers inside her. His thumb brushed light circles over her distended clit and her body bucked closer toward him, seeking relief from the fires he was stoking. He used his other hand to lift her just a bit higher and bent his head to suck one nipple into the hot cavern of his mouth. He sucked and nipped her pebbled flesh with his teeth and the entire time his fingers continued caressing her pussy, making it wetter and hungrier. His thumb pressed down just as he bit her and she screamed as her orgasm rocked through her in waves of pleasure.
She was still shuddering when he pulled his fingers free and plunged his rock-hard cock deep within. The water splashed around them but neither cared. He moved through the water with her until he could rest her hips on the side of the pool and pound in and out of her saturated core. She leaned back on her hands, her breasts thrusting high, bouncing with every stroke he took.
Sorran’s hands held her in place on the smooth stones that surrounded the natural warm pool. He looked magnificent with his brown hair hanging loose, the silver streaks on the sides seeming to reflect the blue of the water. His grey eyes were deeper, darker and burning with passion for her. The muscles in his chest and shoulders rippled as he held her and his abs bunched and contracted as he pumped his hips faster and faster. She lifted her legs, spreading her knees wide so that she could watch his hard shaft move in and out of her.
It glistened with her juices, so long and so thick against the nest of brown curls. It amazed her how much power his cock possessed. Each movement slid his turgid length along the bundle of nerves inside her, the spot that brought her closer and closer to another orgasm. It was a hard glide of flesh inside flesh with the greedy clasp of her pussy doing its all to hold him inside. Over and over again he plunged and retreated until they both dripped with more than water and panted for air to fill their starved lungs.
“So good,” Sorran told her. “You feel like heaven here on earth when I am inside you, touching you, loving you.”
“Yes,” she cried. “Heaven.”
He moved one hand and brushed her clit with his finger and she burst with pleasure again. His cry joined hers and as she felt the harsh blast of his cum filling her, she went higher, cresting on a continuous wave of unrelenting pleasure. He held her tightly to him, her face buried in his neck, and it was a natural desire to open her mouth and bite down on him. He grunted and she felt another splash of seed releasing in her as a shudder racked through his body.
They stayed that way for a long moment, both reluctant to pull from the intimate embrace they shared. Yes, this was the way she wanted to spend every day for the rest of her life, lost in the arms of one of her warriors, bound by pleasure that consumed and ravished.
She felt a hand on her shoulder as Drew joined them, sitting beside her on the edge.
“Are you ready for round two?” he murmured and when she pulled her head from Sorran’s neck and turned to him, Drew took her with a kiss that had her blood beating fast again.
Sorran slipped from her and helped Drew to lift and turn her so that she sat astride. Drew used one hand to hold his shaft and the other to help guide her hips. She felt the kiss of his cock at her portal and then the slow glide of his shaft into her pussy until she felt flush against him. He felt divine but she had no idea where she would find the energy to ride him the way this position required.
But she needn’t have worried. Her warriors knew just what they were about. Sorran stayed in the water behind her and with his hands on her hips and Drew’s at her waist they helped her to rise and fall, creating a pleasant rhythm. Drew thrust into her as she glided down his length and it brought a fast build-up of the sensations she had ju
st shared with Sorran.
Drew caught one nipple between his teeth and held tight to it as she continued to rock on him. The feel of his teeth holding her so firmly while she bounced and jostled was incredible. It was pleasure and pain with no real distinction between the two. It was exquisite torture, and just when she thought she couldn’t take any more Sorran moved one hand and she felt once again an oil-slickened finger pushing into her anus. Drew must have brought the oil over with him. Heaven knew she wouldn’t have noticed at the time.
Sorran’s finger seemed to excite Drew as much as it did her. They both gasped and groaned as one finger became two. As the pleasure built for them all the burning began again inside her. She wanted possession there, needed it like she needed air. His fingers weren’t easing her, it was his cock she had to have, and soon.
“Now,” she demanded and Sorran groaned as he pulled his fingers free and replaced them with what she desired most. Each inch that filled her made her pussy that much tighter around Drew and his groan of pleasure echoed his brother’s. Finally they both rested deep within her body and it was as if the three of them were one being.
“Like this forever,” she sighed as she leaned her head back on Sorran’s chest. His arms slipped under hers and his hands claimed her breasts, pinching and tweaking her nipples. Drew held firm at her hips, keeping her in place between them as they began a counterrhythm of thrust and retreat.
“Yes,” Drew groaned. “Perfection. So good, little warrior.”
Sorran buried his face in her throat and sucked and nipped at her skin, nibbling a continuous path from ear to shoulder and back.
This was what it meant to be a mate, to be the chosen woman of two strong warriors. She was glad that she was so lucky as to be with them. They were gentle and easy with her, even in their passion. Her pleasure was important to them. They were always touching her, soothing her, stroking her flesh. It was nothing like she had feared when she had first learned that she was to be their mate.
