Guardian [New World Book 6]

by C. L. Scholey

  “I’ve seen you naked,” he reminded her.

  “Well, kinda, it was too dark in the cave to see much.”

  Roam hid a grin, he had seen every luscious inch of her when she had gone swimming and when in the dark cave. As they stood up, Roam faced her seriously. He cupped her chin.

  “Mate with me,” he asked.

  “Mate? You mean make love again?”

  “I want you to agree to be mine, always.”

  “I guess mate would be a good term now. I bet a preacher is hard to come by in this day and age.” Jinx’s look was thoughtful, she grinned after looking him up and down. “I suppose you’ll do. But if we mate, we need a feast, and I’m starved.”

  With a wink and sway of her hips, Jinx walked from the cave. Roam knew she thought he was teasing, in a way. He scented her confusion, she was wondering if he was being honest. She was protecting her heart. Roam caught up with her in a few strides, he captured her hand and kissed her fingers.

  “I’m not teasing. We are a good couple.”

  Jinx stopped to gaze into his eyes. “You really want to keep me around forever?”

  “Longer, if possible.”

  Jinx smiled as they continued on. “I’m a pain in the ass you know.”

  “First hand.” She wasn’t kidding, lions could bite hard.

  “I’m almost always hungry and after last night, it might not just be for food.”

  Roam laughed. “I think I could live with that.”

  “I might just eat you alive next time,” Jinx continued. Roam wouldn’t mind that at all.

  Every wonderful thing she had done from Taz’s memories’ point of view was astounding. Jinx was a mate to be proud of. Roam knew Taz spent hours each day sifting through Roam’s memories. It was comical to see a grown warrior giggling, then giggle some more realizing he could now giggle.

  Taz’s emotions were off the wall. He was a good person, he had been, but suppressed it most of his life to fit in with his Tonan band. Taz had a harder time connecting with Slay; he could only do so when Roam was near. Roam assumed it was because Roam was the only one to bite Taz. There were memories in Taz’s past, heinous visions Roam refused to search. The memories weren’t of things Taz had done, so were of no importance. Taz had been cruel, but his experience with Macey was incredible.

  Admittedly, Taz was a real badass. A tempered badass more so now that they had bonded. Roam forgave him his faults; he grieved for the sad, lonely little boy who was raised by an evil bastard. Roam was surprised he had saved Macey’s life. It was a decision Taz never regretted. Macey had been amazed when Roam had taken her for a stroll and pulled her into his shield with him. Roam could shield Slay’s mate. Roam realized he would also be able to shield Macey’s aunt. He was fond of his extended family. He adored the way Ally now took to him, like Slay’s daughter Scarlet did.

  Taz was still dealing with the idea of trusting a Castian warrior implicitly. It came naturally to Roam to trust his warrior mate, even a Tonan. His new emotions weren’t as hard to control as they were before. Except when he searched his memories, he found himself to be categorizing Tonan from Castian. Roam came to the realization Taz was right about certain memories. The Tonan and early Castian hunting memories were barbaric, animalistic, fascinating. Roam would have to watch out for those emotions.

  As for lying, Roam chose never to. The idea of fabricating emotions left a disgusting taste in his mouth, so much so Roam knew he could never lie. He wouldn’t be able to bear the taste, it would poison him. A tail sticking out his ass was also a big deterrent. Lying Tonans really looked ridiculous. Taz’s memories of snapping off his long tail was painful to witness. Taz did it for Macey and never looked back on his decision. Their love story was awe inspiring. Amidst Earth going to shit, a love flowered.

  The couple strolled hand in hand further into the jungle. Roam’s heart was bursting with pleasure, so much so his shield was hard to battle to stay down. The urge turned painful, then excruciating. Something was happening, something bad. Roam stopped laughing. A sudden pain in his chest dropped him to his knees, his hand was torn from Jinx’s grip. His entire being hit rock bottom.

  “Roam what’s wrong?”

  Jinx was beside him in a heartbeat. She crouched down with her hand placed on his shoulder. Roam felt the blood drain from his face. Something earth shattering was happening, he felt like he was dying.

  “No.” The tiny word was little more than a whimper.

  Terrible realization dawned, he wasn’t dying, but someone was. Roam felt everything through another’s emotions. The devastation, the loss. Agony made his breath catch. He could hear the bellow of horror in his thoughts, see it in his mind, the look on his warrior mate’s face. Whatever it was it was awful and it was happening to Slay—and Roam wasn’t there. The saliva in his mouth turned bitter with pain, sorrow, hate, love. Slay had never once experienced the emotion of hate.

  It was the acceptance that had Roam raise a second hand to his heart. Slay’s mate was dead; Roam knew it as certainly as he knew the soil beneath his knees. The warriors connected as Slay said his goodbyes. Roam was screaming in his thoughts.

  Don’t leave me. You’ve been my other half since I was barely twelve.

  I can’t live without her, my friend. Remember, Roam, you are loved.

  Roam felt Slay’s armor come down inch by inch. Planets away, millions of miles from each other—Roam watched his best friend die like he had watched his father die. The pain of his loss doubled Roam over in agony, he hardly heard Jinx, her words, her fear. And then it was over. Slay was gone. His armor squealed, turned to dust and blew away. The connection was broken, Roam saw no more, but his emotions were about to kill him with the agony. An actual piece of his emotions was ripped from him, dragged into nothingness. He was certain his heart would explode as a piece of him died.

  There was no controlling his shield as it slammed over his body, cocooning him, cradling him, calming him, caring for him as it had when his parents had died. Roam slumped to his side. He heard Jinx screaming in protest, terror, disbelief. He heard Taz yelling, crashing through the underbrush. Coming to rescue her from whatever it was that terrified his charge. Coming to see why Roam was shattered.

  Roam heard more screaming. Jinx was pressed to a tree, her look unmistakable fright. Roam could see Taz now. His grey shield had come up when he saw Roam in his protective armor, lying there, unmoving. Jinx saw it all. The Castian, the Tonan. She seemed not to know who to look at first.

  “Don’t be afraid, sweetheart. Jinx, it’s me,” Taz said.

  Jinx looked as though she would vomit. Realization dawned. Her misery seared Roam’s soul. It was then she crumpled, like Roam had done; out of sheer agony, only hers was caused by deception.

  Jinx had no armor to shield her emotions, they were raw and so strong Roam could taste them. She lay there looking broken. Roam suspected she was. Taz raced to her and gathered her in his arms. Jinx didn’t struggle, didn’t move, didn’t open her eyes.

  “Why?” Taz screamed.

  Roam struggled to move into an upright position. His shield controlled his emotions; his pounding heart was a gentle beat. Still he felt like he was dying.

  “My warrior mate is gone. Slay is dead.”

  “How do you…” Taz’s shield came down. Roam dropped his armor. From the look on Taz’s face he knew what Roam said was true. A warrior mate was connected; when the connection broke the effect was a devastating blow. Though Tonans didn’t have warrior mates they had the memories of once needing someone. Taz and Roam were warrior mated; there had been a connection to Slay through Roam. Roam knew Taz felt the loss, the blow. Roam felt Taz’s hurt.

  “Cobra will come for me.” Roam knew this beyond a shadow of a doubt. Roam was slammed with another agony. The blow hit him again, and his body curled inward.

  “Roam?” Taz asked.

  “They had a child together, a daughter named Scarlet, I don’t know if she was killed.”

 
“Her shield must be gone, like Ally’s.”

  “If she still lives, I’m all she has.”

  “Something awful must be happening on Bagron.”

  Roam feared the same. All the warriors were hitting must. It was supposed to be a time spent with their mates creating life. Slay and his mate could have been an isolated incident. What if the Gorgano had attacked? Roam wouldn’t know until Cobra came for him. In the meantime, they had Jinx to deal with. Their secret was out.

  Jinx stirred in Taz’s arms. When her eyes fluttered she gazed at Taz in recognition, before pulling herself away from him. Her face flamed red; she scowled as she crawled away from him.

  “How could you?” The agony in her voice was hard to bear. “I trusted you, all these years.”

  “You can still trust me,” Taz said.

  “And you.” Her tone was so loathsome Roam winced. “Was it you who stole my sister? Back for the other one now?”

  “I don’t know who your sister is,” Roam said quietly. “I promise you, if a Castian warrior has her she is safe and unharmed.”

  “Liar,” she screamed. “She begged him to let her go. I can still hear her screams in my mind, how terrified she was.”

  “I know we are frightening when shielded. If you let me explain,” Roam said.

  “What’s to explain? The Tonans murdered my father, the Castians stole my sister. That about covers it.”

  “I didn’t murder your father,” Taz said.

  Jinx was shaking; she narrowed her gaze onto Taz. “How do I know? You found me. You have tried to control everything I do from the time I met you.”

  “It’s to keep you safe,” Taz said.

  “From what? A Tonan? A Castian? Yeah, good job.”

  “Jinx, I wanted you to get to know me,” Roam said. “But something awful has happened. My leader is coming for me, for his warriors. There is an evil far worse than what you think Taz and I are. This planet isn’t safe. I’m uncertain anywhere is safe. I feel your hurt, sense your feeling of betrayal. Look at me. I’m a Castian warrior; Taz is a Tonan warrior. By rights we should be enemies but for you, for your family we bonded to keep you safe.”

  “Your sacrifice is dually noted.” Her tone dripped with sarcasm.

  What bothered Roam the most was her terror of him, of Taz. She loved Taz, she hated Taz. When Cobra came it would take a miracle to get her on the ship. If she didn’t come, she would die. Jinx rose from the ground and ran, her flight was erratic.

  “Go get Macey,” Roam said to Taz. “You need to tell the others it’s time to go.”

  Taz nodded, his shield was up and he was in motion. Roam went after Jinx.

  Chapter 7

  Jinx ran until her chest felt as though it would burst. She was surprised her heart thumped so loudly with life when it was shattered by betrayal. How could they? How could he? Two sentences ran through her mind terrorizing her thoughts. She loved Roam, how could he do this to her? She had given herself to a beast. The agony dropped her to her knees. For the first time in four years, Jinx cried.

  Heart-wrenching sobs tore from her throat. A river of tears trailed down her face and she watched them splash onto her hands, curled on her thighs. Roam was a Castian, a killer. Taz was a Tonan, a heinous evil alien. Did Macey know? How could she not? Was Jinx the only one who didn’t know; did they really consider her part of their family?

  Jinx leaned forward and settled her hands into the sodden earth; she thought she might vomit. Wet, cold dirt soaked into her pants at the knees. A shiver rippled down her spine indicating she wasn’t alone, when all she felt was aloneness.

  He was standing behind her, she felt Roam’s presence. The rain began to drop, slowly at first, then harder. Jinx was drenched; the jungle floor began to pool around her legs as she took deep breaths and sat back onto her thighs. There was nowhere left for the water to go. The jungle floor was too saturated to accept anymore. Jinx felt the same, too saturated with pain to be able to handle anymore.

  Please go away.

  “Taz went back to the cave. He’s telling the others what you discovered.” Jinx didn’t care.

  “Go away.”

  “I won’t leave you alone in the jungle.” Came his loathsome voice to her ears. “My leader is coming for me—us. I’m sorry, Jinx. I wanted to tell you, but after what you have been through, Taz and I felt it would be better for you to get to know me.”

  “I know all about your kind,” she screamed.

  “You don’t understand my kind.” Damn him and his calm, gentle tone. “The Castian warrior who took your sister was saving her. You said it yourself, that night was death. Yes, if the warrior knew you were there, you would already be on Bagron. He would have healed you, like Taz healed you.”

  Jinx was so confused. How had Taz healed her? It didn’t make any sense; she just hadn’t been as injured as she once thought. Taz was no doctor. Filthy Tonans didn’t help, they hurt; they maimed and killed. But Taz was a Tonan, he had never harmed her or any of the others. Roam was evil. Taz had kept their family safe, but Roam pretended to love her to get her to go home with him. To a planet filled with evil Castians who kidnap defenseless women.

  “Your sister will be happy to see you.” His words made her stiffen.

  “I won’t go anywhere with you.”

  “Earth is dead. There is nowhere safe from the rising waters.”

  “You’re a lying bastard.”

  “A normal Castian warrior can’t lie. I will never lie to you.”

  Furious, Jinx jumped up and spun to face him. He stood there, dripping, in his tight black pants, no shirt, just those idiotic sandals he wore on his feet. He was fast, she’d give him that; he had changed his clothes.

  “You have been lying to me for weeks,” she said through gnashed teeth. “You have been pretending to be a human man. Deception is a lie.”

  “I never once claimed to be human. You didn’t ask.”

  “That’s supposed to make everything all better? Because I didn’t ask? What was I supposed to say? Hey, how’s the weather, are you human?”

  He sighed. “And what was I to say? Hey, how’s it going; I’m a Castian whom you despise because you think we are all the same without knowing any of us.”

  “You’re an alien.”

  “Technically, so are you—to me. Think about it, Jinx, think back to that dark night four years ago. The Castians were fighting the Tonans. The Tonans were murdering the males, such as your father. Did you once see a Castian kill any human? They were there to help.”

  “They—stole—Jade.”

  Without fear, she stood so close to him they could touch one another. The pouring rain dripped down his cheeks onto his nipple-free chest. It made sense now, why he never took his shirt off. Yet another lie, another deception. For a race who claimed they couldn’t lie, they sure did their fair share.

  “Taz is a liar, he said so himself all Tonans are liars.”

  “Taz only lied to you once, about me being from Florida. He paid for it. I love you, Jinx.”

  “You don’t get to say that,” she screamed.

  “I can’t help but say it. It’s true. I just lost one of my best friends; please, I can’t lose you too.”

  “They stole my sister,” Jinx hated the whimper in her tone. She hated more he was a liar and she loved him.

  “I will get your sister back. I swear it. You can ask her if she’s unhappy. I bet the only thing keeping her from being truly happy is knowing you’re on this Godforsaken planet, alone, or dead. While she is safe and being loved. I can feel how confused you are. You love Taz and it’s killing you to hate him. If one single person in a family is a cold-blooded killer, don’t blame the entire family. Each person is an individual. He is nothing like the other rogue Tonans. You can’t begin to imagine how hard this has been on Taz.

  “I respect him. My sworn enemy is now my warrior mate. I’ve seen his memories; you have no idea what he had to overcome. The only way I could go near Macey was to become
part of him; I wouldn’t have done that, not even for you, if he was vile filth. You are right, she’s pregnant.”

  “How can she carry a filthy Tonan bastard’s baby?”

  “Do you feel that way about Ally? She doesn’t know she’s half-human, half-Tonan. All she knows is that you love her. You still do, don’t you?”

  Of course she loved Ally. A horrible thought entered her mind. “Oh God, no. I’m not carrying your baby, am I?”

  Roam looked wounded. He bowed his head. Jinx wondered if the water streaming down his face were mixed with tears. But then she remembered Taz had told her Castians and Tonans can’t cry. So many little things now fit into place and made perfect sense. There was always something bothering her, all the little information Taz leaked, but she shoved the feeling away because she loved Taz so much. He was her hero. A Tonan rogue was her hero. The two beasts she hated were her heroes.

  “I wanted to tell you what I was last night. I should have. We could have made a baby, I wanted to, but I love you and it has to be your choice. My seed, my shield spilled onto the cave floor. You carry no baby.”

  “Your shield?”

  Jinx didn’t understand. Roam was shielded in the jungle, now he wasn’t. Where did the shield go? Roam held out his hand and Jinx’s eyes widened in stunned surprise. Black armor dark as ebony oozed out of his palm to cover his hands in armor. His fingers grew into long talons; one white talon bore a hook. When she looked up to gaze her wary eyes onto him, she stepped back a pace. His face was shielded. A glowing green tattoo pulsed high on both cheeks.

  When completely shielded, he was hideous. On his feet were claws like a velociraptor. He looked larger than his six foot four, but she supposed it was because he was so terrifying. Her confusion grew. Ally never looked like Taz in this way. She looked like a normal little girl. A normal little girl who never once had an accident before the age of four.

  “Does Ally have this shield?” she asked.

  The rain was tapering off. Roam stood motionless for a few moments more before soaking his armor back into his body. Jinx understood why he was so heavy; he had to weigh hundreds of pounds. Where did the armor go?