Rush Against Time

by Willow Brooke

  "Erin, we are trying to keep all of you safe. With Reilly and Lachlan off in New York, it falls to us. It's not a good time for you to go.” Aedan was the one that seemed to try to be sensible.

  She knew somewhere in the back of her mind they were right but when the veterinarian from the Dublin Zoo had called, she couldn't say no. He had heard she was in country on sabbatical. When the epidemic had broken out among the seals, he had been relieved to be able to call her and she had agreed to come.

  She sighed and turned to stand in front of them. "I understand, but I have been getting better with my power and am sure I can take care of myself.” Erin's power was water and she had been practicing with her grandmother. She felt confident that she really could protect herself. Well, at least until someone showed up to help.

  "We know you have been practicing and you have been doing great. Can you wait a day or so until we can get some more Guardians here? Then we could go with you.” Aedan tried again to be sensible.

  "I tell you what, I don't leave until tomorrow. If no Guardians have shown by then, I go and you can just follow me up there as soon as some do, okay?” she reasoned.

  "No,” Myles said giving her a 'you will obey me' look.

  "Myles, we have to let her do this,” Aedan said calmly. "Okay, Erin, if that is your compromise, then we accept."

  "Good. Now go on, I need to finish packing.” She shooed them out of her room.

  She leaned back against the door and closed her eyes. How much longer could she avoid this attraction to them? According to her body, not much longer, she thought with a chuckle. She had been thrown off kilter ever since they had arrived. That day had been one she would never forget.

  One morning after the sisters had been blessed with their powers, they were all down in the dining room having breakfast before Reilly and Lachlan would take them to the clearing for their workout. The doorbell sounded and Erin volunteered to answer it. When she had opened the door, two of the most gorgeous men she had ever seen stood in front of her. Her jaw had dropped at the sheer size of them filling the doorway. Her mark began to heat on her chest. Each of the sisters had been gifted with a mark over their hearts when they had received their powers. It was four circles connected by a fifth, it looked like a flower, it was actually simple but beautiful as a representation of their blessing. She placed a hand over hers as she continued to stare at the men before her.

  "Hello there, sweetheart," one of the giants said as his deep voice sent shivers down her spine.

  "Which of the Blessed Five might you be?" the other asked in a gravelly voice.

  As she tried to find a voice to answer them, Reilly stepped into the foyer and said, "Erin, what's wrong? Who is it?" Reilly was always on alert, especially since they had been honest with him and Lachlan about the incidents of attacks against each of the sisters.

  Her head snapped back to the men in the doorway as one of them said, "Ah, Erin." He had said it softly and with a little growl that had Erin's panties dampening from the sound.

  "Don't fret, Reilly, help is here," said the other one with a wink sent to Erin.

  "Aedan? Myles?" Reilly said as he stepped up beside Erin to shake their hands. "It's good to see you both. Come in." He stepped back to allow the men entry and quirked a brow at Erin as she seemed glued in place. Then she shook her head and snapped out of her admiration of the two giants in the doorway to stick her tongue out at Reilly.

  Reilly cleared his throat and said, "Erin Kirkpatrick, I would like you to meet Aedan and Myles O'Connor. They are the newest Guardians to grace us finally with their presence. Aedan and Myles, this is Erin, one of the Blessed Five."

  They all shook hands and Erin's eyes widened as her mark began to heat. She could still see Reilly looking back and forth between all three, then he broke out in a big smile. He leaned over to Erin and whispered, "I'm telling Ari," he taunted as she pushed him back through the doorway to the dining room.

  She shook her head, he was becoming like a brother she wanted to throttle. She glanced over at the two newest Guardians. There seemed to be an instant attraction between the three of them when she had opened the door. She didn't need this now, she had to get hold of her powers and decide what she was going to do about her profession's future. She turned and headed up to her room to get ready for their workout. Men were not in the cards right now, she kept repeating to herself as she went. Now if she could only believe it.

  Excerpt from Jasmine’s Escape

  The Otherkin Series Book One

  By Keira Kendrik

  The door to the outer office opened and Gladys ushered in two young women who smiled tentatively at him. He stood and came around his desk to shake their hands as Gladys made the introductions.

  "Phoenix Raine, this is Keni Creswell and Olivia Paxton.” Gladys introduced them then smiled gently at the two women as she exited the room.

  "It's nice to meet you both, why don't we sit over here?” He indicated the sitting area.

  The two women took seats on the couch while he sat in the armchair. Keni Creswell was average height, about five foot three. She had blonde hair that hung down her back in a ponytail with large blue eyes. Olivia Paxton stood a few inches taller than her friend and had brown hair that fell to her shoulders. Her eyes were a light brown and seemed to mirror her friend's in worry. Beside him on a small table was a pad and pen for notes, but he usually didn't need them as he remember everything that was said.

  "Why don't we start with why you are here today?" he prompted.

  Keni sat forward and handed him a picture of a very beautiful woman. She had long brown hair with blonde highlights, curvy figure, and the most captivating green eyes he had ever seen. He was intrigued with her and didn't even know who she was. He snapped out of his perusal of the unknown woman when Olivia spoke.

  "That is our friend, Jasmine. Jasmine Dupree. She went missing two weeks ago and the police aren't really doing anything to find her,” Olivia explained. "Mr. Raine, we know something very bad has happened to her. She wouldn't just disappear without telling one of us where she was going."

  "Does she have any family? Have you contacted them?" he asked.

  "No, she has no family. She was a foster child. We are her family," Keni said. "She was with us at the Luxor letting off some steam. She went out to get some air and never came back."

  "We called the police and they searched but they concluded pretty quickly that she had left with a guy. Mr. Raine, she wouldn't do that, it's not her,” Olivia had filled in.

  Phoenix nodded, he himself had been to the Luxor on many occasion. It was one of the most popular nightclubs in San Diego. "The police didn't have any leads for the most part," he concluded and they nodded their heads. "Okay. What about her apartment? Does she have roommates?"

  "She lives by herself in Santee in a small apartment. We have a key," Keni said, pulling out said key and handing it to Phoenix.

  "Does she have a boyfriend? Ex with a grudge?" Phoenix asked.

  Olivia answered this time. "No, none of the above. No one that would want to hurt her. She is a good person," she said vehemently.

  Phoenix smiled and held up his hands. "Ladies, I am just trying to get a feel for her. I am going to have to pry into her life, know everything about her down to what type underwear she likes if Champion takes the case."

  Keni put her hand over Olivia's as if to calm her. "We're sorry, Mr. Raine. It's just that we have answered these questions over and over for the police. We are just anxious for someone to understand that Jasmine would not just take off. Someone has her or something terrible has happened and we are desperate for her to be found."

  Phoenix nodded. "I completely understand that it's difficult for you both. You are both obviously good friends and worried about her. I am going to call a contact of mine in the force and get a copy of the investigation."

  "Does this mean you will take the case?" Keni asked.

  "Wait...we, um, also need to talk about payment," Olivia said
unsure, looking over at Keni.

  Phoenix knew they were worried about his fees. He had investigated them before they came in and found they made decent, if not, meager salaries and it would be difficult for them to pay his fees. Looking at the picture of Jasmine Dupree again, he made a decision.

  "Ladies, we here at Champion are able to have some leeway with some cases. Why don't I see what I can find out and then we can discuss this then. For now, let's wait," Phoenix said smoothly.

  Olivia narrowed her eyes, but Keni answered for them both. "Thank you so much, Mr. Raine. Please, find her."

  The two women exchanged a look that said Olivia would be holding her comments for now as the need to find Jasmine overrode all else. He smiled and shook their hands again as he pressed a button on the side table. It signaled Gladys to come in and escort guests back out to the lobby. Once she had done that, she informed him that his last meeting of the day had called to cancel due to an emergency. He took that time to call his contact and get everything faxed over.

  As he was packing up when Gabe sauntered in dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with cowboy boots. Phoenix grinned at him.

  "Eager, are we?" Phoenix teased his brother.

  "No more than you are," Gabe replied, casually leaning against the wall just inside the office.

  "Looks like we caught a case," Phoenix informed him as he handed Gabe the picture of Jasmine Dupree. He filled him in on what information her friends provided as they headed for the ranch. He watched the look on his brother's face as he kept looking back at Jasmine's picture, he knew Gabe was thinking the same thing. Was she the one?

  Excerpt from Tyrant's Keep

  By Nancy Lommel

  “Princess Ariyona,” he began by letting her know he was all too aware of her identity. “My name is Captain Merrick. You are now the prisoner of My Liege Lord, His Royal Majesty, King Jareth of Ravenwood.”

  Ariyona felt her stomach sink to her toes upon hearing that name and she paled visibly.

  “My Lord has ordered my men and me to bring you whole and unharmed before him. My Lord is very unforgiving of failure, so it is my wish that you cooperate with us so that we may fulfill his bidding. We wish you no harm, but know that we will deliver you. It is in your best interest at this point to cause no trouble. As long as you cooperate, we will do everything possible to assure your safety and comfort on the journey to Ravenwood. Do you agree or would you like to take on the four of us?” Merrick smiled as he spoke the last.

  For a moment, Ariyona did not reply. Jareth of Ravenwood! He was a tyrant king who ruled by fear and force. Many were the tales that had reached King Oberon’s court of the atrocities committed by Jareth upon his people. They had many refugees from his lands. He was a harsh, cruel monarch and the opposite of everything Ariyona believed in. But why was he kidnapping her? Ariyona could not fathom a reason. She looked at Merrick who was still awaiting her answer. She was royalty and they knew it. She knew from his words they would respect and treat her well. Jareth wanted her delivered whole and unharmed. Ariyona preferred it that way as well. She thought of her father’s four rules of being captured. The first was to do whatever was necessary to protect herself. The second was to obey her captors as long as it did not compromise the first rule. Thirdly, she was not to do anything that would bring dishonor to her father or her kingdom. Finally, the fourth rule was to try to escape as long as it did not compromise the first or third rule. As resistance would gain her nothing and escape was not an option at this point, Ariyona forced herself to speak to her captors.

  “I agree,” she said through clenched teeth.

  Merrick smiled. “Very well.” He produced a length of rope that had been secured to his belt. “Please hold out your wrists. I have to bind them, but let me know if it is too tight. As I said, I have no wish to harm you.” Yet from looking into Merrick’s eyes, Ariyona knew he was not a man to trifle with.

  Ariyona held out her wrists and Merrick quickly wound the rope around them. As he did the other three men sheathed their swords, but Ariyona did not doubt that any transgression on her part would have them out in an instant. The rope was very tight around her wrists, but Ariyona’s pride would not allow her to speak again to Merrick to ask him to loosen her binding. Merrick tied the other end of the rope to his belt and they set off deeper into the woods, away from the castle. One of Merrick’s men led the way with Merrick second. Naturally, Ariyona was next in line, as she was tied to Merrick, and the other two soldiers took up the rear.

  As they walked, Merrick explained to Ariyona how she had made their task easier. They had been watching the castle from the woods for several days and had noticed that she fled the castle alone at least once a day. As soon as they were assured that she remained alone, and sometimes stayed in the woods for hours, all they had to do was pick a day and wait. Ariyona walked right into their hands. Merrick and his men laughed at this while Ariyona silently cursed herself for her foolishness. Her father had been right all along and she did have need of a guard. Now she knew for a fact she was wrong to disobey her father on this matter. Why did she not listen?

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