Protector

by Joanne Wadsworth

  I spun back to Davio. “That better only happen the once–or else.”

  “The once.” A devilish smile. “The female’s heart follows the suit of her male’s, aiding him in sensing any distress.”

  “Yeah,” I huffed, pushing him away. “If you can’t tell, I’m feeling distressed.”

  And what was I going to do with him?

  He was impossible–boundlessly and inhumanely impossible.

  Chapter 4

  It was impressive all right. One modified 4x4 Holden Colorado in a deep sea-blue color, with a silver sports-bar on the front and a whopping enclosed deck at the rear of the huge cab.

  I stood in Belle’s triple-bay garage simply staring at the muscular-looking vehicle with awe.

  “What’s wrong?” Davio quizzed me, holding the front passenger door open. He was dressed in casual cargo shorts and a white t-shirt and it was time for school. “You’re supposed to jump in. You know. Vehicle. Drives on roads. Uses fuel. Can’t teleport this one.”

  Obviously.

  I rolled my eyes. “It’s so big. Did you have to buy such a visibly big thing? You were only gone for an hour. No student I know of has a vehicle of this–” I tilted my head sideways to take in the width and breadth of the tires which were definitely enhanced “–size.”

  “Yeah.” He stood, licking his lips at the view in front of him. “I couldn’t resist it. It seems I’m an impulse buyer.” There was no remorse, not one ounce of it in his tone.

  “Well, nice impulse buying,” I finally conceded, giving him at least that much.

  He turned to Zac and Viv as they approached, pointing out the back two doors for them. “Hop in, otherwise you’ll have to squeeze into the back of Silvie’s little nugget of a car.”

  Silvie caught his teasing words as she skipped into the garage and headed toward her own gas-guzzler. “Yeah, yeah. Nice wisecrack.” She attempted to smack him as she passed, clearly aiming for his head but missing since he reflexively ducked.

  Last night those two seemed to do much of the same, always bantering and joshing with each other like long lost siblings. It was curiously funny to watch how they got on so well.

  I laughed at their childlike shenanigans, at how peeved Silvie was that Davio was so quick on his toes.

  “Next time I’ll make contact with your big head, you towering menace,” she threw at him. To Belle ever so sweetly, she said, “Hop in with me since the one with the big head will want to take his mate with him. You can even have the front seat.” She winked at me.

  “Lovely,” Belle groused. “Although I’d like to point out there are some things a protector should never be called to do.”

  My heart panged.

  Davio slid a hand to the small of my back and guided me toward his beast. “I can see you want to ride with Silvie, but you’re coming with me.” His tone was no-nonsense, all sense of earlier play gone. “We can’t become complacent. The warrior could return at any time, especially considering his warning to do so.”

  “Sure,” I conceded, taking one last look at Belle sliding into my front seat next to Silvie. I wanted to swap places so bad.

  So crazy too.

  Because for the first time in my life I had room–I even stretched out my legs. I couldn’t even reach the front of the cab. Yeah, now that was some room.

  Six and a half minutes later, we arrived at school. Wearing casual shorts and t-shirts like any other typical teenager, Zac and Viv bounded off to the main office to enroll for what was left of the school year. Thank heavens. I needed to feel the semblance of normality after all the changes of the past few days. Davio wouldn’t be here full-time. He had reminded me last night that once the threat to me was gone, he’d be gone. But at present, he was focused on flushing out the warrior, taking his enemy down and all before he could return to his country, his family and his home.

  Silvie parked her car and locked it just up ahead of where we’d parked. She dashed off behind Belle along the concrete pathway, both of them quickly disappearing from my sight.

  “You ready to go?” He squeezed my leg from beside me as he turned off the key.

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  “Faith.” He cupped my cheek, lightly stroking his fingers over my skin until I turned my head toward him. “Did you sleep well last night?” Alone now, his attention was fully on me.

  I nodded. “Yeah, fine, although I couldn’t maintain my mind-merge with you through the walls. The distance was simply too great for me to hold.” I breathed in slowly and resettled myself, comforted again by the mind-merge and his physical touch. “And you?” I asked, since there hadn’t been time for any private conversation this morning at Belle’s busy breakfast table.

  “Not the best.” His gaze rested on mine. “I find your mind-merge is necessary to provide me with some form of relief. Most mates have bonded telepathically by now. It aids them in staying connected over long distances. Although it is a link of trust, and obviously that confidence hasn’t built between us.”

  Well, it wasn’t like I hadn’t tried to form the link as I had so effortlessly done with Belle. Except as he’d said there was one simple prerequisite. A telepathic link of this nature was only ever possible if both parties intrinsically trusted the other. So far, I was still dubious.

  “I guess it’ll happen when it happens.” I drew back–we had class, the bell now sounding its first ring.

  I pushed the passenger door open and met Davio at the rear of the Colorado.

  I leaned against the enclosed deck. “So, how did you get a driver’s license? It’s not like you have this kind of transportation in Peacio.” Or so Belle had noted after describing Peacio’s seventeenth century vibe of horse and cart.

  “I had private tutors and my education included your world and mine.” He fetched our bags from underneath the heavy black cover and swung them over his shoulders. He clasped my hand as we walked along the concrete path toward the school’s entrance.

  Like other high schools or colleges in New Zealand, Te Pukē’s school was made up of blocks of weatherboard-clad classrooms, many of them two-stories high with anywhere from four to eight classes in a block. We passed the main school administration, now remodeled in earth-toned bricks, its aluminum windows colored in a bright trim. Around us, a thousand students made their way to class, arriving by foot, bus or car.

  Davio leaned in as students passed us. “Why the frown?”

  He seemed to pick up on every little nuance. “I missed my run this morning. I usually jog for an hour or so before school.” It dragged at me that I’d missed it. Too much was happening too quickly.

  We walked into class together, heading straight down the aisle to the back row. Davio had phoned into the office this morning and confirmed he was taking every one of the classes he’d enrolled in that first day. No surprises there that our timetable matched perfectly. Zac and Viv had done the same, except as this was their first day, they were required to physically sign in at the office. They still hadn’t made their way back.

  I sidled into my regular seat. Davio pulled out what was Silvie’s chair and joined me. I stared at him. “That’s my best friend’s spot–not yours.”

  “No.” Very adamant. “This is mine until the threat against you is removed.” Then reaching under the desk, he linked our hands. “I’ve got to get a hold on regulating this temper of yours.

  I squeezed my fingernails into his palm, biting into his flesh. “What temper would that be?”

  “That vile temper you’re always firing at–” He stopped, his gaze shooting toward Silvie as she stormed our way. Zac and Viv were two steps behind. Silvie clearly did not like the loss of her spot any more than I did as she snapped out the chair behind us.

  My thoughts were now conflicting, because as Davio held my hand, I couldn’t stop the knowledge that my need to have him close steadily grew. Exhaling, I slid a finger along the reddened marks I’d stabbed into his palm.

  “I’m sorry. Perhaps you’re right.” What wa
s wrong with me? I couldn’t allow these roiling emotions to take me. I needed to find some kind of middle ground and stop snapping. Especially at him.

  His hand tightened around mine. “Do not concern yourself with a few small marks. I fast-heal, and you have the right to express yourself freely with me.”

  I nodded. That was a fact I never intended to forget.

  Later in the day, as the bell signaled our lunch break, the six of us made our way out to the edge of the football field, taking a soft grassy spot in the sunshine. Students sat eating their lunch in small groups around the perimeter.

  Ignoring the pull of listening to the others with my advanced hearing, I stretched out on the ground with my hands folded behind my head, settling in close to Davio’s side on my back. Above me, clouds drifted in smatterings of cotton ball white across the blue expanse of sky.

  With the peaceful moment, my mind drifted, my eyes closing as my thoughts returned to the warrior.

  I tried to concentrate on his image in my need to give Davio something more to go on, something…

  There was an internal push.

  I focused.

  There was some kind of subconscious order within my mind, demanding I listen.

  That’s when I understood. Somehow, someway, instructions had been left within my mind and I was to follow the path. Bizarre didn’t even begin to cover that. Although I was learning certain things didn’t always appear as they should.

  As I searched my memory, the warrior’s image crystallized. He had a strong jaw line with a long narrow nose and light-colored hair, his eyes a piercing violet hue.

  Thoughts nudged at the periphery of my mind, ones which told me I needed to unlock those missing moments which were shrouded in haziness. There was more I hadn’t recalled and there was a way I could.

  It happened, and within an instant, I was back there, outside the house by the front door and staring wide-eyed at the warrior who raised a heavy baton as he prepared to strike.

  “Hey.” I threw my hands up in front of me. “I won’t forget what?”

  The warrior’s violet eyes misted. “I don’t wish to hurt you, but you can’t recall the truth. Not yet. Loveria will take you. That poses a danger to you. I can’t allow it.”

  “Okay, hold on. Obviously your concept of danger differs to mine, and if you don’t mind I’d rather we speak than the other alternative.” I glanced with raised brows at the baton.

  His gaze moved over my face. “I’m your father. Look into my mind and take the image I give you of my safe house. Fast.”

  My skin rippled with goosebumps. Shoot. He hadn’t just said he was my father, had he?

  “Faith, now. There’s no more time for thought. You have the ability to block this conversation once you’ve taken the image. Bring it forth later once you’re settled.”

  I didn’t hesitate to send my mind into his at hearing his urgent tone. The image was there and I grabbed it, locking it away as his arms shook, as he closed his eyes for a brief moment and then swung.

  “No, please, there’s no need to hurt me.” I jerked, hands clawing into grass. Grass?

  “Are you all right?” Fingers tangled in my hair.

  Where was I? Flinging my eyes open, I saw Davio leaning over me. “I’m okay.”

  “Your heart’s racing too fast.” Moving his hands under my back, he pulled me up until I sat.

  Oh my goodness.

  I had a father–a father from Dralion. A warrior who was alive and had now made me his co-conspirator because of the impossible information he’d had me withhold.

  I pulled in a lengthy breath, knowing that had to come to an end. “You can’t trust me. I’ve been withholding.” Bluntly put.

  His gaze narrowed. “Because…”

  I answered without hesitation. “My father– I’m sorry, but he is the warrior.”

  Zac and Viv both stiffened, doubly alert.

  “How do you know this?” Davio ground out.

  “He told me.”

  Slanting his head to one side, his gaze narrowed on mine. “Damn.”

  Zac snorted. “Does she tell the truth, Davio? You’ll know if she lies. We cannot have an enemy among us.”

  Two piercing eyes moving from mine to Zac’s. “You understand the bond as well as I do. She speaks the truth. Her father is the warrior who attacked her.”

  Zac released a rumbling growl. “There hasn’t been a mated bond in over forty years between the offspring of Dralion and ours, or at least not since the dome containment field came into play. This changes everything if she has a warrior for a father. You are Prince Everio’s heir and as your protectors, we cannot allow you to take such a terrible risk. You cannot associate with one like her.”

  “I do not care for your analysis, Zac.” He clasped his hand around mine, his attention back on me. “Faith, we’ve already spoken of this. Regardless of your parentage, no one can take you from me.” He stood, pulling me along with him.

  “Did I say he was going to?”

  “You intoned it.”

  “Did not.”

  “Hey,” Belle intervened. “As an empath, I don’t appreciate all this simmering tension. I soak in every emotion and right now I’m getting emotional whiplash bouncing off the two of you.”

  I tugged on my captured hand. “He started it.”

  The bell whistled out–the wrong Belle.

  Davio turned to his protectors. “This warrior does not pose a threat when I have every intention of removing him. As such, none of my existing orders will change. The warrior will die.” His eyebrows rose with meaning, and Zac and Viv gave him a quick nod.

  Silvie sniffed. “Faith, you need what the protectors can offer. You need all of them and I need you.” She swiped at her nose. “I know your inquisitiveness will get the better of you. I have a bad feeling about this.”

  I wanted to reassure her, only class was starting. “Let’s pick this up another time.”

  She drew in a heavy breath and released it. “Yeah, later.”

  Glancing around me, I saw teachers walking from the staffroom. Students headed to class. Life continued, circling and moving all around us. Yet compared to here, Dralion and Peacio were a world away, a world that was now infringing more and more on mine.

  Nothing felt quite right anymore.

  I eyed Davio. “I want to go somewhere alone. With you.”

  “Then let’s do that.” His agreement was without hesitation.

  I strengthened my mind-merge soaking deeper into that spot I considered my own. It was a mystery, even after all that had played out, that I still felt as one within his mind.

  “I’ve never played hooky. A prince rarely gets away with that,” he whispered in my ear.

  I smiled at the thought, but before I could respond, he spoke to the others and tossed his keys to Zac. “I’ll meet up with you later in the day. Take care and be on the lookout for the warrior. He could blend in among the other students.” Davio paused, raising his brows at me. “Although not if you gave us a suitable description. Now that your full memory has returned, tell me what he looks like.”

  Every instinct in me screamed not to give a single detail away. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you. It’s not going to happen, not when he’s my father. I can’t give him up to you so easily. That doesn’t seem like a fair fight.” And deep inside me I knew, defective father or not, my decision was right.

  Davio’s brown-gold eyes bored into mine. “Please don’t tell me you feel an allegiance to your father, not after he abandoned you at birth.”

  My gut churned. “No, it’s hard to explain, only to say my knee-jerk reaction is to protect.”

  His thoughts released, distracting me through the merge as they swarmed. It appeared he didn’t care for my so-called intuitive reaction, not when we spoke of a Dralion warrior.

  “Class is starting. Let’s leave before it begins,” he stated. Without further warning, his arms banded about me. There was a small movement and a feeling of displace
ment through the darkness, but before I knew it, we’d arrived, my sandals sinking into crystalline white sand.

  I gasped. We were at the beach.

  “Okay, you just can’t do that so fast.” I glanced around, my feet sinking deeper until small grains snuck in underneath my toes. I lifted my feet and tipped the sandals off. “Except you’re off the hook since I love the beach so much.”

  “We’re at Papamoa Domain in case you’re wondering,” he informed.

  Just ten minutes from Te Pukē, Papamoa Domain overlooked the vast Pacific Ocean on the East Coast. Behind us was a seaside restaurant and a fish and fries shop, and next to that, a camping ground. Usually this area was a hive of activity, but right now, with students in school, there were only a dozen or so older people ambling along.

  “I wasn’t aware you knew of this place.” It appeared my mate was full of surprises, and they just kept coming, one after the other. “I take it you’ve been here before?” I quirked a brow, wanting to know everything there was to know about him.

  “Let’s walk and talk.” He bent and retrieved my sandals and removed his own shoes, tucking them near the rising bank where the sand met the stringy grass. “To answer your question, I have been here before.” He came back to me, threading our hands together until his fingers were firm around mine.

  We walked.

  “Quite simply, it’s impossible for one to teleport without an almost identical image of the requested location. Teleporters store matching images within our minds so we can travel without any mishap.”

  As interesting as that information was, it wasn’t quite what I was after. I pressed my thumb inside his palm. “The question was a private one. I was asking why you’ve been to this particular beach in the past, not how did you arrive here. This is one of my favorite places.” Before us, endless white sand ran in a long line toward the majestic mountain known as Mauaō several miles away.

  “For the past six months, I’ve been driven to come here. My father had the same inclination after he turned eighteen and searched for my mother. If one is fortunate enough to have a mate, as only half of our population do, then the male’s drive to find his female can become relentless.”