by Montana Ash
“Grunt work? What do you mean?” Max forced herself to focus. She needed answers but there was just a little too much testosterone in the room for her to concentrate fully … and probably just a little too much oestrogen pumping throughout her body, she admitted to herself.
Axel crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the dark cedar benchtop – his biceps flexed prettily. “We’re the foot soldiers – at your service ma’am.” He gave a flippant salute.
Max had known they were military from the first moment she laid eyes on them but it was good to get confirmation, “So you’re soldiers. Is that why you call yourselves paladins? As in Charlemagne’s Paladins? Like the Twelve Peers?”
“You know who Charlemagne is?” Darius asked, surprise evident in his voice.
Max shrugged nonchalantly, “I’m a history buff.”
“And the Twelve Peers? I’m impressed.”
“Well, you shouldn’t be too impressed. My knowledge is rudimental at best. But I do know that the paladins were some of the first and most respected knights. They were the foremost warriors of their time renowned for their chivalry, honour and skills on the battle field. They form the basis of the romanticised knights in shining armour. Charlemagne was their liege.” Max sighed as she stared into space, picturing rough-hewn warriors mounted on mighty steads, riding fearlessly into battle to protect and serve. “The paladins were everything a man should be.”
Max was startled out of her mini daydream by several snorts and one very loud laugh that came from Lark. His name certainly appeared to suit him for his laughter was infectious and the numerous fine lines surrounding his eyes hinted at years of smiles and laughter. He was the shortest of the group and also one of the leanest. Just on six foot, he had that whipcord wiry look to him much like professional swimmers had, rather than the bulk and the bulging mass of most of the others. But he was just as appealing to Max. What could she say – she was big on equality. His messy auburn hair flared gold under the unnatural light of the kitchen and his piercing green eyes were warm and friendly. Hard to believe he was also one of the fiercest fighters outside the bar when the phantoms had attacked. He had been the most agile and definitely the speediest, leaping and spinning calmly as he fought off the foul creatures.
“Aw darlin’, you’re gonna make me blush.” Lark grinned.
Ookay. Cute and cut he may be but he was obviously delirious. Did they all truly think they were freaking knights?!
Darius must have read the look of disbelief on her face for he held up a hand, “Please, remain patient. I can understand how this may seem unusual to you but –”
“Unusual? Unusual? This all seems fucking bat shit crazy to me!” Max yanked at her hair in frustration, “And are you the king of understatement or what? Come to my camp,” She mimicked, “this may seem unusual.”
“Is she unstable?” Cali asked while appearing to reach behind her. Was she reaching for a weapon? Max tightened her grip on Joy.
Lark stood and placed an oddly comforting hand on her shoulder. “Easy Max. I don’t think she’s unstable Cali. I just think she’s clueless.”
Max pouted, “That’s actually more of an insult to me. I’d rather be unstable than stupid.”
Lark smiled and patted her head like she was a mischievous puppy, “Of course you would be.”
“Max, we do call ourselves paladins. But we are essentially soldiers and guardians. It’s our job to protect and serve wardens.” Darius explained.
She nodded, feeling calmer and even happier with Lark’s touch. “So you’re soldiers and bodyguards. You fight those chade things and protect wardens. What do you mean when you say serve? Not literally like servants?”
Axel snorted, “Yeah, pretty much.”
“No. Not at all.” Darius glared at Axel. “We provide energy to wardens to ensure they don’t use themselves up.”
“Energy?”
“Yes. Energy. It takes a lot of energy to uphold a domain.”
“It does?” Max wanted to roll her eyes at herself. She was like a freaking echo!
Cali stepped closer. “Yes, it does. But you would know more about that than we would. How have you been sustaining yourself all this time if you didn’t have a paladin sharing their vitality with you anyway?”
Max was even more confused as she answered, “What do you mean sustaining myself? I eat, I drink, I sleep … that’s it. I have no idea what sharing vitality even means.”
“That’s not possible. You must be absorbing vitality from somewhere. Paladins and wardens have a symbiotic relationship. Paladins are born with an excess of energy – what we call vitality. It’s a by-product of our genes. It’s what makes us knights, protectors, guardians of the wardens. You see, wardens use their vitality to maintain their domain but wardens cannot produce it or recharge it. That’s where the paladins come in. We produce it in a continuous loop so the wardens feed from us, then they feed the world.”
Max’s head was spinning. The whole thing sounded completely nuts but at the same time it was the first time she had ever felt even a smidgeon of rightness. “So wardens are like vampires. Except instead of feeding off blood, they feed off energy?”
“What? No! Wardens are not vampires! They are the most revered people in our society. They are not morbidly imagined creatures of the night!” Darius shouted indignantly. He looked about ready to have a stroke. The one called Beyden on the other hand, was looking at Max thoughtfully.
“You know, she’s kind of right. It is almost like a feeding.”
“Be careful Beyden. What you’re saying is close to blaspheme.”
Max watched the exchange with great interest. Darius was obviously the serious one and his sense of duty seemed deeply ingrained but his defensiveness spoke of something more personal. Beyden and Lark appeared more open minded and easy going. She could picture them just going with the flow. She bet Axel was the rebel and he clearly had some kind of chip on his sexy shoulder, Cali had girl power going for her but she still seemed highly suspicious … and the big guy? Well, Max had no freaking clue where he was concerned. He still hadn’t spoken a word and she was yet to make out his features clearly as he was ranged in the shadows. Perhaps he was mute, that wouldn’t be a bad thing. Big, built and silent, Max grinned, a perfect combination.
“What’s with the evil smile? It’s kind of freaking me out, what with the way you’re fingering that pig sticker of yours.” Axel didn’t appear freaked out in the least. He was sinking those pearly whites of his into an apple, ankles crossed negligently. Even so, she wiped the grin off her face … and stopped caressing the blade.
“What do you guys get out of this whole deal? It seems like you got the shit end of the stick. Wardens suck out your energy and then you have to babysit them and place their lives above your own? Sounds like you’re getting gypped to me.”
“It’s not like that. It is our honour to serve. It is what we were born to do, our purpose. Just like your purpose is to monitor and preserve your domain. You must feel it? That deep sense of rightness whenever you communicate with your element?” Darius asked.
Max nodded in agreement. She did feel it. She had always felt deeply connected to nature and indeed every living thing. She didn’t just crave it, she actually needed it. The longer she went without direct interaction with living things, the worse her tremors were and the worse her health became. Her mental health also suffered to a point where she would go on a major chocolate binge. It’s a miracle she hadn’t lapsed into a diabetic coma before.
“Darius is right. We’re not babysitters. Historically, the term knight was synonymous with servant and solider. That is essentially what we paladins are. We are soldiers who serve.” Although Beyden spoke softly, his voice resonated with a deep bass and a slight Spanish accent if she wasn’t mistaken. Max could imagine what that deep Spanish tone would feel like whispered against her skin. She was a published novelist after all, which meant her imagination was very … vivid. He also had a calm
ness about him that made her think he must be the mellow one of the gang. She already felt comfortable around him, which was very odd, given her trust issues. He somehow reminded her of a puppy – all eager and innocent. But there was a sharp intelligence in his amber eyes that told Max there was a wolf sleeping underneath his puppy façade.
“And it is wardens whom you serve.” Max stated in response.
Beyden smiled, “Yes. Purpose gives us life. It gives us hope. We all need to fulfil our roles. Besides, because we keep producing vitality, we need an outlet for it. We can’t expel it the way you wardens can. Without a warden to convert the energy into vitality, it’s pretty much useless. It just circulates around our bodies.”
“So where’s your Warden?” She asked.
“That’s enough.” The two roughly spoken words startled Max so much she almost dropped her sword. The giant silent one had finally deigned to speak. Max noticed how everyone in the room tacitly acknowledged the man when he spoke. Her earlier assumption had been correct, the Hulk was some kind of boss or leader. His dark assessing eyes pinned her to her seat and Max felt goose bumps break out across her exposed skin.
“History lesson over. I think you’ve heard enough from us.”
That voice! Like smooth molasses, deep and resonating but not a bass like Beyden’s was. And to think she had pictured Axel’s and Beyden’s voice whispering sweet nothings. This guy made them sound like choking ducks! The tell-tale throb from her nether regions waned however, with his next words.
“Who the fuck are you really and why the fuck are you really here?”
SIX
Max stiffened and narrowed hard eyes at the Adonis. Just when she felt like she was beginning to get some solid answers, his harsh questions had her erecting her defences once again. She couldn’t really blame him, she supposed. She didn’t trust them any farther than she could throw them and by the sounds of it, it was extremely uncommon for someone to be a warden and not know about it. His obvious suspicions contradictorily made her less suspicious of them though; a person who asked questions was an intelligent person in her books. What really bothered her was the disrespectful tone he had used. Swearing she could handle – she knew she had a foul mouth of her own – but she couldn’t tolerate bad manners.
“Excuse me?” She questioned coolly. When she felt offended she tended to get a little snotty.
“I want to know what game you’re playing.”
“I’m not really a sports fan. I don’t play games.” More snottiness. He hadn’t even moved from his shadowy little corner. He could see her but she couldn’t see him, giving him a distinct advantage. It was just plain rude!
The chuckle that rolled from the darkness was cutting and mocking, “Do you really expect us to believe you are a long lost warden? One of the most esteemed citizens of our society? That you have been bumbling around on your own out there in the big bad world with no knowledge of who and what you are?”
“So I’m lying am I?” Although she couldn’t make out his eyes she somehow knew she was staring directly into them, “I can assure you, this is all news to me. You are the ones who found me, not the other way around.”
“Yes. Very convenient.”
“Convenient?” Max cringed internally when she heard the high pitch of her voice. She sounded like a shrew. How could this man blow all of her composure in less than five minutes? She gave herself an internal bitch slap and responded reasonably, “It was your fucking lemmings who dragged me back here! I didn’t even want to come!”
“A convincing act I’m sure. It got you back here. But I’m not as gullible as them.” He jabbed his thumb at the three men who had protected her from the phantoms even as he finally emerged from the corner, stepping fully into the light. “And I don’t buy your whole innocent act.”
“Ah, excuse me – gullible? I didn’t exactly come in on the last wave Ryker! She’s a fucking warden! We could sense her vitality clear across the room at the bar. And the chades were drawn to her like bees to honey!” Axel sounded angry but Max barely registered the words. She was too busy trying not to orgasm at the dining table.
Ryker! Finally a name to go with that body of his, Max thought as she shivered in delicious anticipation. The name certainly fit him. The guy looked like he belonged in a maximum security prison after all. He had a heavy five o’clock shadow, messy black hair almost touching his shoulders and bulging muscles displayed perfectly by his plain white tee shirt. He had a huge scar running from under his jaw all the way up the left side of his face and disappearing under his hair line. It was like someone had attempted to hack his face in half. But the imperfection by no means detracted from that fallen angel face. In fact, it made Max want to trace its jagged lines with her tongue – that was her thing for scars talking. She let her eyes roam south and, no – it couldn’t be! Was that what she thought it was? Please don’t let it be, she begged privately ... Fuck, it was! Her very own Achilles heel … nipple rings! She could just detect the outlines of the metal under the white cotton where his nipples were situated. Lord have mercy, she was a sucker for a good nipple ring. Were they hoops or were they bars? She could work with either but she was a little partial to bars.
“Are you done staring?”
Max managed to refrain from jolting at the snarled words. Shit! She had obviously been staring at the inmate too long. He was glaring at her from across the room with those too-good-to-be-true deep brown eyes. They were the colour of her favourite chocolate … dammit. He was like her own personal, life-size walking wet dream. She had to be cool.
“Not really.” She answered, deadpan. “I was planning to take a picture. I hear they last longer.”
****
The snickers were briskly smothered under Ryker’s glare, he noted with grim satisfaction. Much to his consternation, Ryker had been appointed the unofficial leader of their ragtag little group of rejects. It wasn’t a title or a responsibility he willingly accepted but it was something he was glad for given their current situation. He planned on getting to the bottom of the long lost warden … and getting her the hell out of his kitchen. He had made a vow to himself over fifty years ago that he would never be drawn into another Order again. Paladins were duty bound and honour bound to serve the wardens of the world. But he’d be fucked if he would bind himself to another one – not ever again. It then followed, he was under no obligation to have one in his home. When Darius, Axel and Lark had strolled in, a half-size warden in between them, Ryker’s immediate thought was to kick their collective arses! They knew the rules of the camp – no impromptu guests. Certainly not warden guests. Darius had stalled his objections when he started talking however; bar fights, chade attacks, short swords and decapitation. At first he had scoffed, there was no way a warden would ever take up arms in such a way. Besides, the woman was a freaking midget. What could she do really, besides kick potential assailants in the shins? But then he had looked at her, like really looked at her and he had known. She was going to be trouble. And wasn’t it just his luck? He absolutely loved trouble!
She was short at around five foot three, with dark cerise hair and a body with curves in all the right places. She was pale with dark circles under her eyes, and although she was clean and tidy, her clothes were well worn. She clutched a short samurai sword in one hand and a battered back pack in the other and she was leaking energy all over the place like a sieve. She also seemed completely ignorant to that fact, which should have been impossible. Wardens were trained from the cradle how to control their vitality, just as paladins were trained how to protect. Even if by some miracle she truly didn’t know who or what she was, there was no way she could have survived seeping vitality like that for any length of time. And with no paladin to replenish her? No. Fucking. Way. So he had side-lined himself and let the discussion ebb and flow around him.
He had watched the delighted wonder on her face as she had taken in the kitchen, the stark disbelief when Darius had told her she was a warden, the disgust when Cali
had explained the energy exchange, and the barely contained fury from his blatant accusations. Her face hid nothing; all her thoughts and emotions were plain to see in those expressive eyes of hers. Although he was actually inclined to believe her original tale of ignorance in light of that animated face, he was also cautious by nature and he had never been a fan of coincidence or serendipity. The chances of his boys stumbling upon a stray warden were miniscule. So he was going to see what he could scare out of the female.
Despite what his stupid dick seemed to think, he was most definitely not happy to see her. The foolish thing had been hard as a rock ever since she stepped into the room. Everything about her seemed to rev his engines, from her voice, to her sarcasm and her wit. He appreciated a woman who could hold her own in a conversation. But what grabbed at his gut the most were those eyes of hers. He most definitely did not think her eyes were the most expressive, the most magical eyes he had ever seen. They were turquoise. There was no other colour that described them. They looked like the colour of the clearest of bays in the warmest of seas. He wondered if they would darken with desire during sex or perhaps lighten in the throes of ecstasy. Stupid dick!
“Perhaps it’s you who would like to take a picture, hmmm?”
Ryker could hear the knowing smirk in her voice and it made his teeth grind. A pair of pretty eyes – and even prettier breasts – would not be enough to make him forget she was a warden with a very suspicious and questionable history. He crossed his arms over his chest and returned to the matter at hand, “Where are you from?”
Perfectly shaped eyebrows rose over mocking eyes, “Australia. I figured the accent would give me away. Yours is fairly close but not that of a native. Pommy?” She questioned.
He had actually been born in England but hadn’t lived there for over fifty years. His accent only came out these days when he was very angry, very stressed … or very aroused. At the moment he was all three so he supposed it made sense that she was able to pick it. She was very observant and astute, he realised. She was also quite adept at taking the focus away from herself.
