Paladin (Book Two of the Elemental Paladins series)

by Montana Ash

  “Abominations. They are abominations.” Darius was pale, all colour having washed from his face. Max’s words had resonated with reason and truth, and Diana knew she believed each word she spoke. Max dialled back on the bond subtly, as if she were distancing herself from them. But Diana still noticed and so did the others if their uncomfortable shifting were any indication.

  “I don’t believe they are abominations or monsters or vile creatures.” Max still had a speculative gleam in her turquoise eyes. “I think they are sick.”

  Silence. Nothing but silence for a heartbeat … two heartbeats …

  “Sick? You think they are sick?” Darius was incredulous. “You’re damn right they’re sick! Sick fucks who have chosen to abandon their honour!”

  “That’s just it. I don’t believe it’s a choice. Who chooses to get a horrible disease?” She asked practically.

  “You have no idea what you’re talking about. You were calling them ‘phantoms’ not two months ago!” Darius’s voice had now risen a few octaves and his face was an alarming shade of red.

  “And? What’s your point? I have been dodging them my whole life. And yes, fighting them and killing them. I have been in contact with them nearly on a weekly basis for over twenty years. I am very familiar with them. I could know more about them than you.” She pointed out.

  “I’m sure you did your due diligence trying to find answers, Max.” Beyden’s voice was gentle and reasonable. “And although it is an intriguing theory, it is extremely unlikely. The chades have been around since the time of the original wardens. Not in these great numbers, but wardens have been succumbing to their powers for millennia. Our governing body have searched and searched for answers and cures and solutions. There are none. If it was a sickness, don’t you think they would have figured it out by now?” Beyden asked.

  Max shrugged, “You would think so, yes.”

  Darius scoffed rudely, “So what? Now you’re implying there is some kind of conspiracy at work? Max, you really are too much sometimes. Your investigations wouldn’t hold a candle to the IDC’s.”

  “Do you think I was blasé about investigating them? I watched them, talked to them, and tried to figure out what they were. But answers were hard to come by.” Max said.

  Diana watched as Darius swallowed convulsively like he was forcing bile back down his throat. “They don’t talk.” He gritted out, “They have no voice. They have no voice because they have no humanity. They are soulless, voiceless traitors.”

  Max’s eyes swirled with colour for a mere second before her expression turned decidedly haughty and she appeared to taunt him, “Is that so? Me think you doth protest too much. Has a chade spoken to you, Darius?”

  Darius’s chair was flung with such force, it shattered into dozens of pieces as he jumped up abruptly in a fit of rage. Anger radiated from him in palpable waves and he was eyeing Max with clear dislike – something Diana never thought she would ever witness. Darius loved Max. As one of the three paladins to discover her sitting alone in that filthy bar, Diana knew Max held a special place in his heart. But she was clearly witnessing Darius snapping his collar. For her part, Max was sitting calmly, eyes narrowed as if she were taunting him. What game was she playing? Max didn’t know Darius’s history but she could obviously see this was a sore subject for him. Why was she pushing him? And Darius looked to be at his limits. Besides the fact that it was Max, he would never talk to a Warden with such disrespect and anger. Duty was his whole world – the last eight hundred years she had been alone was evidence of that.

  “You’re going to want to leave now.” Lark’s voice was a rough growl and he was eyeing Darius as if he were a threat. This situation had the potential to get real ugly, real fast. There was no threatening a bound liege and Max was officially bound to five of them – including Diana. It was taking a toll on her to sit there passively instead of sucker punching the hell out of him.

  “Fuck, yeah. I want to leave. I don’t need to hear this shit. And I can’t believe you’re all indulging her!” He spat the words out as he stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him.

  “Was it something I said?” Max’s question sounded innocent but she was anything but.

  “Max …” Diana began, warningly.

  “Yes?” Max’s question was almost a dare. Her turquoise eyes were direct and held a clear challenge; are you questioning me? They seemed to say. Diana was torn. Her allegiance was now to her liege and it wasn’t her place to question.

  Max’s eyes softened as if she could hear Diana’s internal debate, “Go after him.” She urged.

  Still, she hesitated, casting her eyes around the room. They all looked uncomfortable and tense. Max hadn’t ever really acted commanding before. She was always a little antagonistic – especially to Ryker – but she was never mean, like some wardens. Diana figured it was a mixture of her normal nature and also her ignorance of her place in their society that made her so sweet. This was the first time she had acted like a Warden and Diana didn’t like it.

  “You should go after him before I do.” Beyden said. “I’m half tempted to knock some respect back into him.”

  Diana sighed and ran her fingers through her hair – it didn’t work. Her curls prevented it and she was left untangling a springy lock from a ring where it was caught. Beyden was the most non-violent one in their group. If he was simmering on the edge of violence, then the others were about to boil over. Diana wanted to check on Darius, but she feared there was no putting the lion back in the cage. It had been locked away for years and Max may have just successfully unleashed the beast. The thrill she felt in her nether regions was entirely inappropriate, as was the beading of her nipples.

  Shit was about to get real.

  EIGHT

  Darius prowled angrily around the west side of the building that housed the gym. It was on the opposite side of the kitchen, away from prying eyes and the ocean. His view was only of thick bushland and he considered walking off into the dense trees and shrubs just to escape all the people back in the house. They had all lost their minds! When Max first arrived, Darius had found her refreshing, and believed she was just what they all needed. Her innate goodness and light seemed to spread through their ranks, drawing them closer together where they could all acknowledge they were a family in ways they hadn’t been able to before. He loved the little midget and she was a true miracle to their race and their world. A Custodian? A daughter of Nature? She was an absolute marvel just by existing. But she was also ignorant to the point of stupidity. Weeks! They had all spent weeks, educating her about their society and their history and their laws. And still, after all this time, she insisted on remaining ignorant! And what was worse, she insisted on remaining antagonistic. Darius thought she had gotten all that out of her system with Ryker and the local council, but clearly she hadn’t. No, she was now trying to goad him!

  Aren’t I just a lucky boy? He thought to himself snidely. He now had a greater appreciation of how Ryker felt all those weeks ago.

  Darius continued to pace as he kicked at stones and muttered to himself. The more he paced, the more amped up he became. His thoughts were now a swirling mess of the conversation in the kitchen and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make her suppositions stop. She has no idea what she’s talking about! He assured himself. Ryker had been correct all those weeks ago – she was nothing but an ignorant, clueless, reckless nobody! How dare she waltz into his life and make grand statements about things that had been facts for centuries before she had even been born?! She had no right to question the very foundations of their society or their proud history. And to question their leaders? The people who worked tirelessly and selflessly to ensure the world continued to spin on its axis for all the other ignorant, destructive human beings out there? Well, that was blasphemy, pure and simple.

  “How dare she accuse the most honourable members of our society of conspiracy?! Doesn’t she get it? She can’t just walk in here and disrupt thousands of yea
rs of history on a whim!”

  “Wow. Talking to yourself. She really got to you, huh?”

  Darius literally snarled as he spun around, seeing Diana move purposely toward him. Just what he needed; the object of his one-sided lust. “What do you want?”

  She shrugged casually but Darius could see her grey eyes were sharp, taking in his every movement. “To see if you’re okay.”

  He laughed. Hard. “Okay? Am I okay that Max is trying to disrupt the basis of our world? Am I okay that you all seem to believe this nonsense about the chades being sick? No I am most certainly not okay. So run along and report back that Sir Darius is having a tantrum. I’m sure they’re all waiting to hear about it.”

  Diana finally came to a stop in front of him. Although she was tall for a woman, he still topped her by four inches and she was forced to angle her head up to make eye contact. “We don’t all just blindly believe her. But it’s an interesting theory. You won’t even consider the possibility?”

  “Consider what possibility? That chades are just misunderstood? That they have some kind of disease? Bullshit! The chades are abominations and they get everything they deserve.” He snarled in anger.

  Diana leaned back against the wall of the gym, apparently at ease. “How long have we known each other? Like, eight hundred years?” She answered herself. “I have never seen you act this way. I know the chades are personal to you and I get it – I truly do. But this seems more ...” she paused, as if hesitating before speaking again, “… obsessive.” She finished. “It also seems extremely defensive. Is Max right? Have they ever spoken to you?”

  Fuck! Darius gripped his hair hard and yelled in frustration. He was not going to delve into memories long supressed – they were false anyway; artefacts of a traumatised imagination. “What is it with you? Is it all about the girl power or some feminine bullshit? Is that why you are suddenly ready to abandon everything you know to take the word of one faithless woman?”

  Diana arched one perfectly plucked eyebrow. She was still wearing the slim black jeans and tightly fitted, emerald green shirt she had been when they were shopping. Despite the long day and the skirmish with the chades, she still looked absolutely stunning and neat as a pin. Well, except for her hair. Her hair was always in disarray around that gorgeous oval face. Seeing her so perfect and prim and so put together when he felt so out of control, aggressive and almost feral, made him want to throw her against the wall and dirty her the fuck up!

  He looked down and saw that his hands were shaking. He never acted this way and never thought this way. He was a knight of old, from the most honourable of lines in Warden and paladin history. He had even officially been given the title of ‘Sir’. He did not consider throwing women against walls or banging them stupid. Just as he was about to give himself a long, hard silent lecture and put the beast back inside the box, Diana made the mistake of speaking again;

  “I think I’m looking at your abandonment issues with your brother. That’s what I think.”

  He moved without even really thinking, pinning Diana roughly to the uneven wall behind her. He gripped her wild hair in both fists, forcing her head up. “Don’t talk about him.” He warned. Diana’s grey eyes sparked with defiance but she made no move to escape his grip, even though he knew she could do it in an instant.

  “What’s the matter, Darius? I hit a little too close to home?” She taunted.

  He gritted his teeth in an effort to beat down his sudden need to unleash forty years of pent up shame and disappointment, and yes, abandonment from his brother. One thousand years, Darius had served his liege – had served his brother – with faith, loyalty, and honour. He had been unwavering in his duty, forsaking his own happiness in order to serve. And that potential happiness was pressed against him right now. He also had eight centuries of pent up lust to unleash. Diana was in a very precarious position. His brother had abandoned and betrayed him and it still hurt so damn bad, even after all this time. Max was poking at an open wound and Diana had come out here to throw some more salt? Well, maybe it was time to for him to be selfish for once. For him to think about what he wanted. Clearly, that’s what everyone else did.

  And right now? Feeling Diana’s generous body aligned with his, her riotous curls under his palms? Darius wanted with a hunger he hadn’t known was possible. So he lowered his head and … plundered. He forced Diana’s mouth open with his own and pillaged the recesses of her mouth with his tongue. Her unique flavour exploded over his taste buds and he groaned harshly into Diana’s very willing mouth. She gave as good as she got, both of them fighting for dominance, which served to fuel his fire even more. She wasn’t going to be a meek participant and follow his lead like the women of his time. She was going to battle just as a warrior should.

  Damn! He abruptly pulled away. She was a warrior – a fellow warrior! He really shouldn’t be doing this. As long as she didn’t open that fine mouth of hers again, maybe he could tamp down his raging arousal and save them both from the erotic assault that was about to happen and that he was sure he would never recover from. Instead, the next words out of her mouth this time? A taunt.

  “Stopping so soon?” She asked, her lips swollen. “Why am I not surprised! You can’t ever just feel, can you? Can’t ever just think for yourself? The great Sir Darius, duty before all else.”

  “Oh. Did you think I was stopping?” He asked lowly, devouring her body with hard eyes. “I was just giving you a breather … last chance.” He had no idea his voice could go that low.

  He watched as she took a deep breath before holding out a shaking hand. He moved, having no patience for buttons and saw them fly in multiple directions as her emerald green silk blouse gaped open. He sucked in a harsh breath upon seeing the lacy, violet bra she was wearing. The colour was bold and contrasted loudly with her lightly tanned skin. He could see the hard nubs of her nipples pressing insistently against the lace and he reached out gripping both breasts fully in his palms. He plumped her cleavage up before leaning in and placing a series of biting kisses along the exposed flesh. They weren’t soft love bites either, but almost a form of erotic punishment for pushing him until his iron-willed control snapped.

  Diana moaned and pushed herself closer to him and Darius realised she liked it. He ran his tongue over the small pink marks to soothe the sting, before pushing her shirt off her shoulders and unsnapping her bra. His knees weakened at the site of all her coffee-coloured flesh. Her breasts were high and round, her nipples dark and large. He didn’t look at her face; he knew he would be lost the second he looked into those storm-cloud eyes, and although his control was already shot to hell, he still wanted a moment to play. He probably wouldn’t get another chance. Banishing those thoughts, he caught a hardened peak between his teeth and flicked his tongue teasing and igniting her further.

  Diana moaned erotically and grabbed his ears with rough hands, she then steered him toward her other breast where he took the hint and paid equal homage to the exposed flesh there. Running his hands down the curves of her waist, he pushed the heel of his palm against the feminine heat radiating between her legs. Now it was his turn to moan; she was scorching hot and he swore he could feel a tell-tale dampness under his hand. Greedy, feminine hands brought him out of his lust-induced haze and Diana had his burnt shirt up and off before he could blink. He watched from hooded eyes as she licked her lips and smoothed her palms over his chest and abs. She scraped her nails back up to his nipples, leaving train tracks of red marks behind. At five foot ten, her line of sight was almost directly level with his chest, so she had only to close the five-inch gap between them and open her mouth to lather attention to his nipples in return. He had never been into women fondling his nipples before. He was rather aggressive in the bedroom and used to being the one in charge. As her tongue lapped away, he decided she may have just made him a nipple-convert.

  Her hands were by no means idle as they worked at the button on his cargo pants. Forcing his pants down just enough for his aching er
ection to spring free, Diana latched on the moment it was revealed. Her hands, calloused from hours of fighting, gripped him confidently as she gave an almost experimental tug. He shuddered, relishing the sensations flooding through his system. The wind picked up, causing her hair to dance around her face and cooling his super-heated skin as it brushed by. If he were prone to whimsy, he would have thought his domain was giving its approval for the act taking place.

  But Darius wasn’t whimsical and he knew how badly he was breaking the rules. A trickle of unease flooded him again but refused to take hold. Probably because Diana abruptly dropped to her knees and swallowed him down nearly to the root. He shouted hoarsely, his hands automatically gripping the thickness of her hair. Unable to stop himself he began to move his hips as her lips and tongue tormented the length of his dick. Diana unleashed her nails again, this time over the cheeks of his arse, and flattened her tongue, allowing him to slip further into her throat. Manoeuvring her head into a position that suited him more, he began to thrust against her in earnest, essentially fucking her lips. It was something he had always desired to do with lovers in the past, but something he had never allowed himself. Although he was a dominant lover, he was also a respectful one, always ensuring his partner’s pleasure before his own. But he was so cocooned in his lust-bubble, years of anger and hurt and disappointment roiling inside him, that for once, he was taking what was offered.

  For her part, Diana seemed to thrive on the rough treatment, moaning and closing her eyes in obvious pleasure. Her cheeks hollowed as she sucked and Darius couldn’t believe how sexy she looked with his flesh disappearing between her lush lips and her breasts bobbing. On his next inward thrust, she swallowed; his eyes rolled to the back of his head, his body demanded release. Clenching his teeth, he forced her head off his impossibly hard erection – no way was he going to waste the opportunity to feel the paladin of death wrapped around him. Her eyes held questions as she stayed on her knees before him. Unable to articulate, he demanded one word roughly;