Rain (Stranger in the Woods Book 1)

by India R. Adams

  Another Demon runs around the corner of Rose’s house, heading toward me as I send updates to the other Guardians. Barely out of my squat, I run to the next Demon, dipping my knife in its holder for more of my blood before thrusting it into his heart. Before I can even retract my knife, another is by her window, smiling down at me.

  I skfen, They know exactly who Rose is.

  The Demon crawls in, but a second later, I’m behind him, lunging. This is where fighting can be tricky. We have to move through life and death movements in a stealth mode. Guardians are trained to do this so the humans don’t hear us and wake. The Blood Demons don’t want to be seen either. If they were to be seen, humans would be more prepared to fight, and it would complicate the Demons’ acquisitions. Humans are smart and resilient. I, for one, believe they should be a part of this battle so they can fight for their families. I know that’s what I would want, the chance to fight for my family.

  Silently, I grab the Demon’s head with both of my hands and spin, putting my back to his and pulling with force. His head breaks free of his body that is now resting on my slanted back. It feels like pulling a head from a straw scarecrow. Blood Demons are literally empty before consuming throughout the night, so there will be no trace of blood with this kill. I spin around to catch what remains of him before his headless body makes a thud on the floor. I sink my fangs into his shoulder.

  With his body in my left arm and his head in my right hand, I stare out the window and see the next Demon approaching. It can take your mind a minute to react when the Demon looking at you is identical to the dead one in your arms. This is why we affectionately call them the Clones. But cloned from who, we don’t know.

  As he attempts to enter, I throw his brother’s head to his midsection. Hard. The Blood Demon flies backward through the air, clutching the head to his chest like a football while balancing at the roof’s edge. I follow him out the window, trying to get this fight away from sleeping Rose. As the Demon starts to recover, I throw the body at him, knocking him off the roof. Just then, two more jump onto the roof to join me. Never have I had so many come for one human.

  I send out, Yeah, they know she’s the Prophecy.

  I dip my knife again and bend my knees, preparing for whoever attacks first. I quickly learn it will be both. Elbowing one in the face while stabbing the other is easy enough until three more join the fight. It’s unusual for so many to get through the outer perimeter of fighters, but I hear the Warriors battling like never before.

  Parker keeps checking on me, but all I have time to reflect is, Still fighting, boss…

  Good to hear, soldier.

  I think I was born for this.

  Yes, Warrior, you were. Damn, that’s going to leave a mark. He must have gotten hit.

  After gutting one Demon, I toss him into another and shove them both from the roof. The next three are on me like glue. Hands, elbows, knees, and heads fly through the air at a blinding speed. My knife catches one Demon across the face before beheading another. The two Demons—still with heads—freeze and look at the dead one then back at me. I shrug my shoulders and kick the head like a soccer ball. As the three of us watch it soar through the air, I can’t help smiling. Apparently, it’s not as funny to the Demons. They tackle me, forcing me backward into Rose’s room, where we silently battle.

  They keep looking around me to get a glance at the Prophecy. As I see her out of the corner of my eye, rage builds to an unheard of level. Unexpectedly, I become disconnected to myself until something clicks into place. The animal in me takes over. The final part of my destiny becomes one with my soul.

  The Demons and I intertwine again, throwing blows at each other. My body barely reacts to each hit and punch. I am not even registering claws finding my skin. Pain is a distant reaction compared to my present battle for Rose’s life. Knife in hand, I duck while I spin, slicing their thigh muscles. As they react to those injuries, I stand up, spinning, cutting their throats, exchanging used knifes for coated ones.

  One body flies out the window, then another. I hear more Clones landing on the roof. When my hands and knife are busy, my jaws snaps, searching for contact. I don’t know how many I battle and kill before I spin with my knife and growl to see Blaze with his hands in the air, his Mohawk matted with blood. He quickly skfens, Ryder! It’s me!

  Completely confused with no control over my body due to my surrender to my animal instincts, I stare at Blaze for help. He reflects, I know what’s happening to you, so listen. Rose is out of danger. Breathe… Inhale deeply then exhale slowly.

  Lost. I feel lost and so damn angry. My jaw will not unlock. Venom drips from my mouth as I try to hear my closest ally. Blaze nods and tries again, pointing to Rose, who sleeps as if a war didn’t just take place in her bedroom. Look at her, resting. Danger is gone. See?

  Looking at Rose, I lower my knife as I try to rein in my rage.

  Blaze is worried. It’s okay, Ryder. You’re doing well. Now inhale…

  Seeing Rose is not hurt, I finally listen and inhale deeply, wiping venom from my chin. I exhale slowly as I walk to her bed to see her face. Rose rests peacefully. My knees buckle in relief, exhaustion, and something else I cannot explain. My hand shakes as I reach out to touch her. Blaze quickly reflects, No. You’ll leave a trace. Ryd, you need to get out of here. You’re bleeding everywhere.

  What? Looking down, I see my blood—my venom all over me—dripping onto her floor. Blaze pulls a rag from his pocket—we all keep them on hand for times like this—and wipes the old wooden floor. No one will harm her. We will watch from outside.

  Mustering the strength to leave her and trying to stand, I pull my own rag from my pocket. It is already drenched with blood. Damn, I think I got hit.

  Nothing compared to the damage you did, brother. Trust me.

  Blaze uses another cloth to wipe up the rest of my blood as I exit the window. Standing on the porch roof, I can’t believe my eyes. On the ground, forty to fifty dead Blood Demons sprawl all over Rose’s side yard. The Warriors—Parker, Hunter, Sage, and Chase—stare up to me with an expression I can not understand.

  I skfen, Thank you… for the help…

  They all look at their feet again. Parker reflects, This was not us…

  I killed all these Blood Demons on my own.

  Chapter Seven

  Ryder

  By the time we got the Demon bodies dragged to the woods, the sun was coming up. Sun rays will finish the job and disintegrate the bodies. No proof of battle will ever be seen. Pain finally begins to catch up to me as I lie in Crystal’s dwelling. Crystal is our health giver. That’s why whenever we relocate, this tent is the first constructed. We never remove trees for space. We work with nature. The tree limbs growing through her facility have been put to great use. My makeshift hammock hangs from a branch, as do the others set up for evenings like this. Each Warrior is tended to. Crystal has trained females and mates to help when multiple injuries force her to prioritize. Crystal takes the most severe and allows others to handle minor wounds or injuries.

  Crystal has vibrant red hair and cares for us all. She’s quick on her feet, demanding when she needs to be to heal someone, yet is as kind as her seafoam-green eyes. I’m not sure why she looks so different from the rest of us, and I’ve never asked. She is not a Warrior, therefore her lineage does not need to be public. She is Bonded to a Warrior though, Sage.

  Crystal puts moistened herbs on my wounds while Isolde talks to the Guardians. “By looking at Ryder, I can only predict another rough evening tonight?”

  Parker’s huge form makes his hanging cot look small. “Never seen so many Demons at once.” Blood splatters are wiped off by one of the females assisting.

  Isolde says thoughtfully, “They know.”

  Wincing in discomfort, I nod. Isolde looks to Parker for some sort of confirmation as she points to
me.

  His turquoise eyes soften. “Forty-four of them.”

  I’ve hid my emotions the best I could, but now it is for all to see; I will kill and die for Rose.

  “Any other signs?” Isolde appears concerned.

  I don’t know why, but Blaze seems worried too. “Yes… Ryder almost attacked me. I had to talk him down. And his blood on his neck.” Morning Star dabs ointment on a gash on his thigh.

  Still confused, I state the obvious. “I’m bleeding because I have been attacked.”

  Isolde’s long, silver hair falls forward as she looks to the ground. “He has Tied to her.”

  I sit up, swinging my feet over the edge of the hammock. “I what? No—But… Rose and I haven’t Linked.” Crystal doesn’t bother asking me to lie back down. Huge news has just been shared, and she knows it. To Tie is when a male’s deep-down animal instinct comes forward for the first time. It happens when a Linked female is in need of protection from her Linked male. It’s a very difficult state of mind to live in, so nature does not force this amped male hormone unless it is needed.

  “No!” Everyone looks at me with sympathy, and that makes me even angrier. “Are you telling me I have Linked with someone not of my species—which I was told is impossible? And on top of it all, it is with someone I can never have?”

  Isolde’s deep breath is my answer.

  Silence.

  After what feels like eternity, Isolde says, “Rose is the Prophecy. Anything is possible.”

  I growl in frustration. “This is cruel—”

  “Ryder.” Hunter, second in command to his brother Parker, sits on a cot with a healing cloth wrapped around his waist by Nora, his mate, a mate fate has allowed him to have.

  “But Hunter—”

  Nora pauses tending to Hunter. “Give yourself some time, then speak out loud.” Nora is wise. She is older, like Hunter and Parker, and not easily rattled. In her motherly way, she is warning me to not be disrespectful and regret words spoken in the heat of the moment. Good advice, indeed.

  Parker drinks some water. “The first wave of Demons was to distract us.”

  Sage sits on a cot, having his wounds tended. “I should have seen past their strategy and not have run to Blaze. I failed Parker’s placement to avoid such destruction. They created a hole.”

  Blaze shakes his head. “No. Sage, if you hadn’t have come—I—just too many of them. You saw. Seven more showed as you arrived.” Morning Star puts ointment on a gash Blaze received from claws and freezes when she looks at her brother, Sage. Sage’s violet eyes meet hers as she says thank you from her heart. We all feel her deep gratitude.

  Sage’s long, ivory hair falls forward as he nods to his sister. Sage would do anything for her, including saving the love of her life, her mate, Blaze. Sage raised his sister, Morning Star, when their parents died a long time ago. Her violet eyes water with fear for what the outcome of this evening could have been.

  Blaze gently pushes her white angel hair from her face and lifts her chin so she has to look into his eyes. “My love, I’m okay.” She nods as a tear trails down her fair skin. He wipes it away, kisses her, and holds her to him, dismissing his bleeding injury for the sake of her heart. “Your brother is a great babysitter.” Morning Star’s arms go around Blaze’s neck so tightly she might be choking him, but Blaze will never tell her to let go. Morning Star is his world.

  I can’t help but envy Blaze for having Morning Star. Isolde smiles at me as she takes over for Crystal, placing more herbs on my injuries. Our thoughts, our feelings, are not our own here. Like it or not, we share all. On different levels, we are all connected. Some don’t feel me as much as others, like Chase. He is too young and too rattled after such a fight. “That was so intense. I’m not sure how I survived.”

  Hunter smirks. “That’s what all that training you were bitching about did: saved your ass.”

  “Hunter! Language.”

  Hunter’s head drops in shame. “Yes, Isolde.”

  Parker readjusts on his cot. “Well, training got us through, but that was a bloody close call. I have a plan.” Everyone but me starts laughing. “What?” His massive shoulders carry the pressure of his position in our village.

  Blaze releases Morning Star so she can continue to work on his shoulder. “You always have a plan, Parker.”

  “Here, here.” I point to my body. “Look at what the last plan did for me.”

  “Warrior, you must learn to handle your new talent.”

  Hunter whispers to Nora, “I don’t think he considers this a talent.”

  She rebuts quickly but with control. “Have you ever had a twenty-five-year-old Tied male in your care?”

  Hunter thinks. “Well, no. That is young.”

  “We have not had a Tied male with us in some time.” The fire glows against Nora’s darker skin. “Ryder has much to learn, but fate has chosen.”

  “And I’m sure, chosen wisely.” Isolde bows her head.

  Parker also bows his head. “I’m sorry, Ryder.”

  He thinks he pushed me to this? He did no such thing. This is beyond Parker’s control. Nora is right. I need to take time to think then speak. “I am a responsible male and will not doubt my destiny. I’m ready. Parker, what is the plan?” I pretend my broken heart has not destroyed my life. A male can only Tie to one female in his whole lifetime.

  Parker’s shoulders soften. “Well, we need bait.” All motion in the tent stops. “Ryder, we need an item with Rose’s scent on it to put on a female volunteer, and lure the Demons away.”

  “What? I’m willing to put my life on the line, Parker, for Rose, but not risk—”

  “I’ll do it,” Nora interrupts me.

  Hunter is stunned at his mate’s offer. “You what?” Nora looks at him, courage in her green eyes, but Hunter shakes his head. “No—No way!”

  Nora opens her mouth to argue, but Parker interferes. “Thank you for offering, Nora. Very noble of you, but… I—we need our fastest female runner.”

  Silence.

  We all know who Parker is asking for now. Both Sage and Blaze yell, “No!”

  Parker patiently takes the verbal beating as Blaze and Sage lose their minds, talking loudly at the same time.

  I even jump in, “Parker, there has to be a better way.”

  Parker shrugs. “You guys know as well as I do that the Blood Demons are recruiting reinforcements as we speak. We have tonight and tomorrow night, at most, to prepare for round two, and that is only because we took out so many.”

  “I’ll do it.” Morning Star bows her head in offering.

  Blaze looks at her with pure conviction. “Oh, no, you will not! You are mine to watch over.”

  Isolde laughs out loud as if she suspects how this is going to go over.

  Like a lead balloon.

  Morning Star’s gentle face changes, and the female in her steps forward. “Pardon me?” Blaze, wisely, becomes speechless. “Guardian Warrior Blaze, did you just try to control me and my destiny?” His mouth opens—shuts—opens—then shuts again. Morning Star turns from Blaze and faces Parker. “Just tell me when.”

  Parker looks down, clearly wanting to avoid the dirty looks he’s receiving from Blaze and Sage, from behind Morning Star’s back.

  Isolde teases under her breath. “There is that word again, mine. Male fools.”

  As we file out of the tent, Isolde pulls on my hand. I have a feeling about what she has to say, so I slowly face her, not wanting to hear it. Her eyes are full of concern. “Release her, Warrior.”

  “Where are you?” Rose calls out to me in her sleep. My body tries to drag itself to her side, feel her hand clutch mine, and brush my lips against hers, but I can’t. I’m doing as I was told. I am releasing Rose. Demons not attacking tonight is a blessing b
ecause I am too busy fighting a war within my heart, my body, and soul.

  Looking through her closet for what Parker needs, I find a hat and a scarf that has her scent all over it. I try to keep my distance from her as I walk back past her bed, but a reflection of light from something on Rose’s chest catches my eye. Timidly getting closer to her, I am completely dumbfounded, staring at a necklace that mimics mine, except the triangle is upside down.

  I close my eyes, trying to deny myself the glimpses of hope. I inhale deeply to refocus but only manage to catch the strong scent of the items I’m holding. Growling, I do what is right for Rose and force myself to retreat out her window, not touching or talking to her. Even as she calls out for me, over and over…

  The next night, I watch Rose deteriorate right before my eyes. She cries off and on like a possessed water faucet. I watch from the tree as Gunner tries to understand what is happening to her. Standing on the back porch he holds her. “Rose, just try to explain.”

  Rose rests against his chest with a tissue in her hand. “That’s the thing, Gunner. I can’t! I don’t understand this pain inside.” She looks up at him. “Do you think I am getting sick?”

  Gunner touches her forehead. “No, you have no fever. No symptoms.”

  She clings to the front of his shirt. “Mama is improving daily. I have you. All is well, yet there is an ache in my chest that is so paralyzing I think I might…”

  Gunner appears gutted—alive. “Rose, maybe it is because we—maybe we shouldn’t have been together.”

  Gunner eventually gets Rose to settle down and sleep in her bed. I’m not shocked to see Gunner take the spare bedroom and not put any sexual pressure on Rose. As much as I want her, it is good to know that the one she is with truly loves her. He is a good male.