Paladin (Book Two of the Elemental Paladins series)

by Montana Ash

  Diana was really enjoying herself. It was nice to see everyone relaxed and enjoying each other’s company. As promised, Caspian, Leo and Lawson had been invited as well as Fawn and her paladins. The latter had declined due to duties, she assured them, not because she hadn’t wanted to come. But the triplets were here, much to Ryker’s displeasure. The three identical gorgeous specimens were proof there was in fact a God or a Goddess in Diana’s opinion. She watched as they talked with Leo and Lawson and saw the appreciative gleam in Caspian’s eyes. Sure he was very much in love with his partner, Lawson, but he wasn’t dead. He gave her a wink when Lawson wrapped an arm around him, pulling him closer to his side. Diana winked back, appreciating the playfulness of the Warden of Water.

  Ten minutes later, a breathless Max and a flushed Beyden re-joined them. Their numbers at the table had dwindled to Axel, Lark and Cali. Ryker and Darius had begun talking shop and Cali had firmly moved them along with Leo and the triplets, saying; ‘This is the fun table!’

  “Thanks, Bey. If you could set it up, that would be great.” Max was saying as she took her seat and picked up a waiting shot of vodka. Diana shuddered as Max downed it in one healthy swallow.

  “Set what up?” She asked, curious. She hoped Max wasn’t up to anything too bad.

  “Bey is going to introduce me to his sister.”

  “Ivy?” Diana asked, a little surprised. Beyden didn’t talk about his sister too often. She thought maybe he was worried mentioning the Ranger would make them uncomfortable.

  Max nodded her head. “Uh huh. She’s a Ranger so I expect she is one of the leading experts on the chades.”

  Diana felt the others go still at the same time she did. Max frowned at them and gave them a serious look despite the bright blue drink she was now currently holding. “Did you think I was just going to let it go? I can be circumspect when I need to be. I have been giving Darius time but this is not an issue I am willing to drop. I will be conducting my own investigations – beginning with Ivy.” She stated.

  Cali patted her arm. “Good for you. But not tonight. This is the fun table.” She reminded her and took the blue drink from Max, shotting it back. Cali was also drinking.

  “Does that mean I’m not allowed to ask something about the bond?” Beyden queried.

  “After that dancing, you can ask me anything you want, you sexy beast!” Max guaranteed him, causing heat to flush his cheeks.

  “It’s just something I’ve felt through the bond today …” Beyden began a little tentatively.

  Max gave her full attention to the man with the smooth dance moves. “What have I done now?”

  “No, no! It’s nothing you’ve done!” He was quick to reassure her, “It’s just something I noticed with Ryker …”

  “What about him?” She asked with a head tilt.

  “Well …” Beyden looked at them but Diana could offer no assistance for she had no idea where this was heading. “Have you actually told Ryker you love him yet?” He finally blurted out. Ah, she thought. So she wasn’t the only one to notice their Captains insecurities.

  Max’s head snapped back. “What? Of course! I tell him all the time!” She insisted.

  Cali rolled her eyes, tipping back her Corona and draining half the bottle. “It doesn’t count if you say it when you’re orgasming.”

  “Why? That’s when I mean it the most.” Max pointed out logically.

  Axel snorted once, then chuckled, then laughed so hard he had tears seeping from his eyes. “Oh, Max. If only I’d have snagged you first. You’re the perfect woman.”

  She blew him a kiss and a wink. “See, Axel’s on my side. Besides, it’s not like he doesn’t know. He can feel it through the bond.”

  They all could, actually. And it was genuinely lovely. A pure, non-selfish emotion given and taken freely without reserve or fear. She often had to reprimand herself when a tiny green-eyed monster reared its ugly head. “Men need to hear the words, Hon.” She enlightened Max.

  “Och! Men are so needy!” Max slapped her palm on the table as she rolled her eyes in exasperation. “I’ll fix it.” She assured the table in general, holding up a placating hand. She cruised her eyes around the room for a moment, before seeming to latch onto Darius;

  “You know, if you wanted to take sleazy advantage of Darius while he’s under the influence of good ‘ole Jack, now would be the time.” She said, nudging her with an unsteady hand. Diana couldn’t help but eye her liege with amusement; Max was the one leaning heavily on Cali as she downed yet another shot of vodka. For a small thing, she sure could put ‘em away! She had been consuming an impressive array of alcoholic beverages for the past few hours and had proved to be a highly entertaining and good natured drunk. But Darius on the other hand, seemed to be by no means intoxicated as Max’s statement implied. That was despite consuming almost an entire bottle of whiskey – Diana may have been watching. She turned to Max;

  “Even if I wanted to take advantage of Darius –”

  “Dirty, dirty, sweaty, messy, dirty advantage!” Cali interrupted, ostensibly being helpful. The water paladin was just as drunk as their liege.

  Diana rolled her eyes, “Sure. All of that. Even if I wanted all of that …” Which I totally do! I want it bad! She acknowledged, silently praising the vocabulary skills of her fellow knight, “… I doubt he would be receptive. Besides, it wouldn’t be taking advantage – the man isn’t drunk.”

  Diana was forced to lean back to avoid a face full of Max as she pitched forward, laughing so hard Diana was concerned she was going to rupture something internally. “My sweet, sweet Di …” Max placed a comforting hand on her forearm, “… that man is completely and utterly wasted!”

  All of them turned to watch Darius as he sat straight in his chair, deep in conversation with Ryker. He was nodding, listening intently and responding appropriately as they discussed training techniques and schedules. His short hair was still neatly styled and his clothes unrumpled. He was – as usual – completely put together. And by no means wasted.

  “Sorry, Max. But I think you’re seeing the world through the bottom of a tequila bottle. Darius is not moving; you are.” She said, figuring Max was probably seeing a very wavy Darius by now.

  “Bup-Barm!” Max made an obnoxious buzzer-sound as if Diana had answered incorrectly on a gameshow. “Trust me – if you could see what I can see … then you would see what I can see.” Max stated seriously, as if that sentence made complete sense. Cali – the drunk idiot, was nodding sagely as if in agreement.

  “I’ll prove it to you. Hey Dare!” Max shouted. Diana saw Darius wince from across the room at the nickname Max had taken to calling the air paladin after her sixth vodka shot.

  “Yes?” Darius asked, courteously.

  “The song is almost up. Will you please put on another? Your choice.” She smiled.

  He frowned slightly but immediately excused himself from the conversation and walked, straight as an arrow, to the jukebox. Diana was surprised when he seemed to give the contents a genuine perusal, eyeing it critically as if searching for a particular tune. He never really showed much interest in music, unless it was Axel on the piano of course. He preferred to spend his recreation time with his books or his darn Star Trek. Finally, he grunted and stabbed his finger decisively at his selection. Max’s grin widened as the first four beats of the music began – a quick four-count loop of the first note – boom, boom, boom, boom.

  Diana’s mouth dropped open and the entire room stopped what they were doing to stare at the oldest and most respected paladin in the room as he began to rock his hips in time to the music and mouth the words silently.

  ‘My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard,

  And they’re like, it’s better than yours,

  Damn right, it’s better than yours,

  I can teach you, but I have to charge.’

  Milkshake. Darius was singing Milkshake and shaking his arse all over the place as he made his way back to his seat. Diana was y
et to close her mouth and the room was yet to regain activity.

  Milkshake. Darius was singing Milkshake.

  Max’s giggle had Diana tearing her avid attention away for a brief second. “I told you. That man is plastered, my friend!” And giving her a hearty slap on the back, Max shimmied and shook her own butt over to the now very clearly inebriated Darius.

  *****

  Darius was actually enjoying himself. He wasn’t a big fan of drinking and parties but it was nice to just stop thinking for a while. He thought he might need to have a word with the owner of the bar about his alcohol though. He had been drinking all night and didn’t feel a thing! He bopped himself over to a free table, feeling the beat of the music pumping through his body. What a great song!

  “Good song choice.”

  Darius nodded his head, of course it was a good song choice – he had chosen it. “Thank you.” He answered politely.

  “May we?” Kane asked, indicating to the empty seats. Darius shrugged. He didn’t mind if the pretty boys joined him. Maybe it would do them some good. They were just so … pretty. Darius understood Ryker’s aversion to them as he felt the same way. Pretty people couldn’t be trusted.

  “Dare!” A short spitfire of a woman shouted in joy before seating herself firmly in his lap. “What are you going to do about Diana?” She asked without preamble.

  Screw her into the wall again? His inner voice suggested. “Nothing.” His outer voice answered.

  “You and Diana?” Kellan asked. At least he thought it was Kellan. They really did all look the same.

  “No.”

  “Yes.” Max answered at the same time. “He blew it – apologised for not treating her like a lady.”

  The three walking cover models winced and eyed him in sympathy. “You didn’t?! Man, poor form.”

  “I am not discussing this … But even if I was – which I am not – I would not require advice from pups such as yourselves.” He assured them firmly. He was a thousand years old and these youngsters thought they knew more about women than him? The notion was laughable!

  “Sure, man. I’m just saying, a woman like Diana? She needs a firm hand. She wants to know her partner can give as good as he takes. That’s what she respects.”

  Darius glared dangerously at one of the men with the identical faces. Pretty boys! The lot of them! What would they know about how to treat a woman with a firm hand? Hey … wait a minute. His brain was moving at a slower rate than normal and it wasn’t able to process the conversation as rapidly as usual. What did the pretty boy know about Diana in particular wanting a firm hand?! Max apparently had no trouble following the conversation for she gasped loudly;

  “You and Diana? No way! She never said anything to me, that skank! Which one of you was it?”

  Which one was what? Darius’s sluggish brain asked.

  Max had her eyes narrowed on the three pretty boys and the three identical expressions of smug. Darius wanted to push their faces into the brick wall behind him just on principle.

  “Was it all of you?” Max asked in stunned disbelief. “Oh, my dear friend, Di. I have underestimated you horribly. Will you ever forgive me?”

  Darius looked around. Diana wasn’t even here. Max sure must be drunk, he thought to himself.

  Kai laughed, a horribly grating sound in Darius’s opinion. “A gentleman never kisses and tells.”

  That was very true, Darius acknowledged. At least they had some semblance of manners … wait … kissing and telling … Diana … triplets … Diana and triplets and kissing and telling … “You have not slept with Diana!” He growled, lunging across the small space to grab a handful of pretty boy.

  “Whoa, tiger!” Max grappled him back to his seat, which was pathetically easy given he couldn’t seem to stand straight. Was he drunk or something?

  “Yes. You are drunk. Very, very drunk.” Max assured him. “So it’s the perfect time to use some of that liquid courage and wipe out the memory of the gorgeous triplets from Diana’s orgasm memory bank.”

  He growled. “My Diana! Mine! Not for pretty boys!”

  “That’s the spirit!” Max cheered.

  Yeah, that was the spirit. He thought, pinning Diana with his eyes across the room. He saw her breath hitch and her grey eyes darken as they gazed steadily back.

  A firm hand, huh? It just so happened he had two.

  FIFTEEN

  After her little talk with Darius, Max found herself outside in the cool night air. She leaned back against the wall, pretending not to be concerned about the thick layer of filth she knew must be coating it. She also pretended she didn’t notice two stealthy silhouettes leaving the back door, one with a slender hand firmly lodged down the front of the other’s pants! Smiling in satisfaction, she closed her eyes, inhaling the fresh sea air. Her family was inside that bar, laughing, drinking and just being merry. Her family – how weird was that? She was desperately praying this wasn’t some sort of post head injury dream and she was going to wake up in a hospital somewhere being fed by a tube and shitting in a bag. Good things like this just didn’t happen to her. But here she was, a freaking minor Goddess, with a crew of knights devoted to her health and happiness. And on top of that, she also had a Ryker. She loved every little thing about him. Her soul literally reached out for his. They were now so deeply intertwined that she knew she wouldn’t be able to survive without him. But really, why would she want to? The man was panty-melting gorgeous, a God in the bedroom, loved her, respected her, and accepted her. Where the camp had been Ryker’s refuge, Max knew that he was now hers.

  The earth beneath her feet gave off a small vibration, alerting her to the appearance of another presence. Max opened her eyes to see Ignatius striding toward her, arrogance in his every step. What did that tool want now? She couldn’t see his knights anywhere but they must be nearby somewhere.

  “I know what you’re up to and you won’t get away with it.” He snarled without preamble.

  Max raised her eyebrows, “Having a party? It’s not exactly hard to figure out, what with the noise and all.” She smiled sweetly, “I would have invited you and your goon squad but there’s a ‘no wanker’ policy.”

  “I can see what you’re up to. You think everyone is buying your whole ‘lost warden’ act? You expect us to believe you just showed up from nowhere, like a lost little lamb and we’re all going to embrace you and bow down to you? You’re a fraud and a fake and I am not going to let you get away with tarnishing our society.”

  Hmm, Max thought. Interesting notion. She wondered how many others had the same idea? She would have to mention it to Ryker and the others. Rumours and suppositions could bring about unrest and she didn’t want to cause any more trouble than she already had. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I assure you, I am what I say I am.” Other than being a Custodian, Max thought. But she sure as shit was not going to tell Ignatius that! “And I have no desire to tarnish anything.”

  “Bullshit! You’re trying to turn the others against me – against the local council even! Well, listen up bitch; you better watch yourself, otherwise what happened to your pathetic Earth paladin will seem like a walk in the park.” He threatened.

  Max was careful to keep the flow between her and her Order shut tight. The whole situation would likely become out of control if they were alerted to her predicament and she wasn’t about to pull them into trouble. Besides, she’d been handling despots like Ignatius for years and Joy was securely in her boot as usual. “Be very careful, Ignatius. I don’t take kindly to threats. And you need to stop reminding me about how you hurt my new brother – I may just follow through on my earlier warning.”

  Ignatius snorted rudely, “I’m not afraid of you.”

  Something in his tone had her pausing before responding. Focusing her powers, she decided to let her extra sight free – not something she would usually do because of the invasion of privacy. But she needed to get a clearer picture of this guy. What she saw had her eyes widening in awaren
ess. He was lying big time. He wasn’t just afraid of her; he was bone-deep, piss-his-pants terrified. And he had no idea why … but she did, so she decided to clue him in;

  “Oh yes, you are. You are terrified of me and you don’t know why, so it makes you – a normally arrogant and entitled man – even more hostile. It’s a defence mechanism, you see.” She pointed out, helpfully. She cocked her head to the side, giving him another study before continuing, “Would you like me to tell you why I disturb you so?”

  “I –” Ignatius began, but she wasn’t interested in his opinion. After perusing his soul, she now had a very clear view on exactly who and what he was; he wasn’t just a spoiled a-hole like she had originally thought. No, his rot went to the very core of his being and there was no redemption to be found there. She would have to warn Ryker about him, but for now a few home truths would have to suffice.

  “You fear me instinctively – like prey fears a predator. You haven’t seen my powers but you can feel how strong they are. You fear the fact that I have managed to garner the love and loyalty of the strongest and most feared paladins ever to be born in a matter of weeks. You’ve seen how some of the other paladins and wardens have received me into your little world and you fear the impact I may have. You’re afraid of the changes I’m going to bring. And you know what, Ignatius?” She asked, leaning in close, “You are right to fear me. I am a predator. You are my prey. And I will bring about changes to this once-proud, but now sadly-outdated society.”

  Max watched impassively as his face turned beet-red. She could feel the temperature begin to rise in the air around her and knew he was calling upon his element to retaliate. Silly, silly boy. Careful to show no outward signs, she simply cooled the air along with his internal body temperature, effectively making his ability to control fire impotent. Feeling as though she had given him enough of her valuable time and pissed that he had effectively sobered her up, she turned and began strolling back inside to the warmth and laughter, speaking as she went;