by Maia Dylan
She sensed her Elementals moving, but the rest of the room kept their gaze firmly locked on the fight before them, just as Olwen had planned. Argon jumped back, landing on the balls of her feet and stretching her side, no doubt trying to shake off the hit.
“That hurt?” Olwen asked with a hopeful grin, making Argon growl. Yeah, she was getting to her, and Olwen knew it was only a matter of time before Argon made a fatal mistake.
“Need I remind you, sister,” Argon spat out, “that I have connected my life force to that man of yours? If you kill me, you end his life, too.”
Olwen nodded, spinning the gemstone staff in front of her. “No need for the reminder, Argon. I do know that. But, my mate”—Olwen deliberately stressed that word, turning her head to show Argon the claiming bite she wore proudly—“would rather be dead than with you. Think about that as I send you to the hell that you deserve.”
Argon’s face filled with hatred. Then, with a scream of rage, she spun to the left, and Olwen anticipated the strike to come high and from the right, but at the last minute Argon changed, swinging low and slicing her across the ribs. A white-hot pain had her wincing, but she refused to shout out, not wanting to give Argon the satisfaction of knowing she’d hurt her.
Argon grinned, tilting her head to the side in a way that made Olwen want to rip it from her neck. “That hurt?” Bitch.
Rohan growled from the side of the room. “You’re hurt.” His words were slightly garbled, and when Olwen shot him a quick glance she could see his bear clearly in his eyes.
Rolling her eyes, she turned back to face her sister, the two of the moving in unison once more. “Yes, Rohan, I am. Thanks so much for pointing that out.”
“Don’t do it anymore. I don’t like it.”
“Well, gods, that’s great advice. I will absolutely keep that in mind. Now if you don’t mind, would you shut the hell up and let me do this?” Olwen’s focus narrowed until all she could see was her sister.
“Olwen, the portal is getting weaker.” Casey’s voice came urgently down their link.
“Go, go through now. I will follow when I can,” Olwen ordered, then closed the link, not wanting to be distracted.
“The sun is almost set,” Argon’s voice rang with smug satisfaction. “You will live long enough to see it close on the chance for you to live in that realm, and then I will kill you.”
“Rohan, go, get to the portal,” Olwen said, casting him a quick glance, begging him with her eyes to leave her. She wanted him to live more than anything. She could survive anything knowing that he was alive and happy, living a life in the Earth realm. It was something he deserved and she wanted that for him.
Rohan arched an eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest. “I will, just as soon as you finish this, and we step through that portal together.” She should have known he wouldn’t have left her there alone. Begging him to leave would only waste time. Nodding, she stopped walking sideways, and taking a page from her Captain’s book, she walked straight toward her target.
Argon dropped into a strike stance, putting her weight onto her back foot, and lifting the blade. Olwen spun the staff in front of her as fast as she could, spinning it widely, but her gaze remained steady on her target. She watched as Argon’s eyes desperately followed the staff, looking for a gap or a place to strike. Deliberately leaving an opening in her swing, and appearing to falter, Olwen saw the moment Argon made the decision to strike. A slight gleam of bloodthirsty satisfaction filled Argon’s gaze, and Olwen could see her bear in Argon’s eyes. She was close to shifting and that meant that Olwen had to move quickly, so she pushed forward as fast as she could.
Despite knowing that this was what needed to happen, Olwen’s heart filled with sorrow at what she was about to do. She was about to end the life of her sister and there was no forgiveness for that. She swung the staff, aiming the large gem at the end directly at her temple. With a sob, she swung through, striking with deadly force, she felt the sickening thud of the strike vibrate down her arms, and because her gaze was locked to Argon’s, Olwen saw the shock fill her eyes moments before the light of life disappeared.
Olwen dropped her staff and reached for her sister as she dropped to the floor, dead even before Olwen caught her. When Olwen dropped to her knees, cradling her sister’s body in her lap, the enormity of everything hit all at once. She threw her head back and screamed. She screamed in rage at the world, and Fate and, hell, even the gods who had made this all necessary. She screamed until there was no sound left, and she simply sobbed silently, tears streaming down her face.
“Rohan! It’s closing!” Liam’s warning shout came from the other end of the room. Before she could lift her head, Rohan was beside her, plucking her from the ground and sprinting toward the back of the room. Olwen looked back over his shoulder. Her sister’s body remained on the floor. By killing her sister, she had saved her mate. Somehow, despite knowing it was the right thing to do, it still saddened her. Then the room was lost to view as Rohan sprinted into the dungeon.
“Go, go, go!” Ariana shouted, and when Olwen turned to look, she saw all her Elementals standing at the rapidly closing portal, waiting for her. Apparently none of them were willing to leave without her.
“Take her!” Rohan yelled as he physically threw her into Liam’s arms.
“What? What are you doing?” Confused, Olwen struggled and reached her hands out to him.
Rohan’s gaze turned sad. “You said it yourself, my love, you don’t know if they put a failsafe in place for me. If I step into that portal I might just blow it up. I will love you forever, my goddess, and I will not risk you. Liam, go, now!”
Olwen screamed for her mate as Liam leaped into the portal and she was sucked out of the realm her mate now stood in, one hand reaching out toward her, and one clutching his chest. She was still screaming his name as the portal closed in around her.
Chapter 11
Rohan dropped to the ground on all fours, his stomach lurching, and he had to fight the urge to empty his stomach on the ground. Gods! That was horrible. He took a few moments to get his equilibrium back, and a few deep breaths to steady the shaking that still rocked his entire body. There was an audible popping noise as the whirling vortex behind him closed for the final time, and despite the slight ringing in his ears, the silence after the noise of the portal was strange.
Not wanting to be caught in such a weak defensive position, and desperate to be gone from this place, Rohan pushed up to stand tall, taking his first good look around. Despite the lack of light, as the sun had just set behind the horizon, the first thing that he saw as his eyes focused on this new world around him was a small fist, flying straight and true in his direction in the split second before it connected with his jaw, snapping his head back and pushing him back a slight step.
“Rohan, you bastard!” The ringing in his ears was now a little louder, but despite that he could clearly make out the voice of his mate, and, gods, she had a pretty decent right hook. She now stood glaring daggers at him, shaking her right hand as if to ease an ache. Rohan kind of wished he could do the same with his jaw.
“Olwen, I—” He ducked as another fist came flying. Vaguely, from the corner of his eye, he saw the others who had been awaiting his arrive at the Pagan Stone walk away, giving them a little privacy.
“No! You do not get to speak right now,” Olwen snarled as she stepped into him and poked him in the chest with her finger. “What in the hell was that? Did you not understand the whole conversation we had around me not being able to live without you? Did all of that just simply disappear? For the love of the gods, do you have any idea what it was like to see you still standing there as I entered that portal? To wonder if you would be able to make it through the damn thing before it closed? Or even if you would survive it if you did?”
Rohan reached out to wrap her in his arms, but she stepped back. The tears in her eyes and the look of betrayal on her face had him wanting to reach in, pull his out his own hear
t and offer it to her in apology.
“Or even worse.” Olwen hiccupped the last word as her sobs threatened to render her speechless. “That you had decided that I was simply not worth the risk of the portal?”
Rohan was struck dumb. Could she possibly think that he would or could ever think that? That she would not be worth any risk? Apparently he had stood there with his mouth open and a look of dumb shock on his face too long, because she threw her hands up in frustration, muttering something about thick-headed bears, then spun on her heel to follow the others. The sight of her walking away from him broke him from his stupor.
Taking the three quick strides he needed to catch up to her, he gripped her by the right shoulder and spun her into him. He ducked under the fist he knew she was going to swing in his direction, and stepped in until he had her pressed tight to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck.
“I’m sorry, goddess, I am so sorry,” Rohan whispered. “It was not my intention to make you feel that I had abandoned you. My objective was simply to protect you. I could not risk you.” He closed his eyes at the sound of her grief, and the trembling that shook her entire frame against his. “I knew I was only a moment behind you—”
Olwen shook her head violently and pulled back to look at him. “That’s just it. You were not merely a moment behind me. Because of the time distortion between the two realms, I came through almost an hour before you.” Rohan’s entire body filled with horror at the pain that must have brought his goddess.
“While the sun was on its still on its downward arc, and I had to wait, watching as the sun seemed to set faster and faster and you still didn’t step through that damn portal! The sun touched the horizon and the portal changed color and I had myself convinced that you were lost to me. I died a thousand deaths in the minutes that elapsed as the sun continued to set, cursing the gods and every deity I could that they would dare, after everything we have been through, to take you from me. Then, just as I was about to hurl myself back into the portal and have it take my life, too, you fell onto the ground and the portal closed behind you a mere moment later.”
Rohan reached up to gently stroke her blonde hair back from her face. “Again, all I can do is apologize, my love. The thought that my actions caused you pain is ripping me apart. Forgive me, my goddess. Let me hold you, and comfort you. Listen to me tell you that I love you and that I will make me feel safe, and I will never again be taken from your side.”
Rohan chose the exact words she asked for the day they had been reunited in the forests of the Otherworld. The sound of her soft gasp told him that she remembered the moment as vividly as he did. Then she lifted her arms up, and he could no more deny her then he could will his own heart to cease beating. He bent down, wrapped his arms around her waist as she reached hers up and over his shoulders, and the two of them held each other as they cried.
* * * *
“So, how does it feel to be rich?” Fiona asked as she leaned forward slightly so she could look directly at Olwen.
Olwen looked over at her with a frown. “I think we will have to wait until we get the gemstone appraised, and then work out what we want to do with that money. And when I say we, I mean all of us. As far as Rohan and I are concerned, whatever money those gems bring in will be all of ours, and we will make a decision on what to do with it together.”
That afternoon at the Pagan Stone, Olwen had taken the gemstone staff from its sheath and as soon as it was placed onto the Pagan Stone itself, the wood staff basically imploded into a pile of what Casey called toothpicks. The gemstone itself remained intact. As it turned out, the stone was, in fact, a diamond, and larger than any they had ever heard of before, which apparently added to its value.
“Why did the staff explode like it did?” Maggie asked as she finished making sure everyone had what they needed and took her place at the kitchen table.
Now that was a question Olwen did have the answer to. “I put everything I had into the creation of that prophecy. As the white goddess, I was never able to wield anything that had its origins in dark magic, so had to put everything I had into that prophecy. I didn’t know that Rohan was alive, let alone in the Otherworld realm. I had anticipated returning to this realm and reclaiming my powers from the gemstone. However, I used everything I had to ensure our safety and return. The staff was dormant.”
“You no longer wield your power?”
“Oh, I can still manipulate the Elements,” Olwen said with a grin as she held out her hand and watched a flame burst to life and dance across her palm. “But nothing like I used to be able to do.”
Rohan leaned over and blew the flame out like a candle. “Are you okay with that, my love?”
Olwen wrapped her arm around her mate and smiled up at him. “I have you in my life, in my arms, and in my future, so I am more than okay with that.”
“We had almost given up on you, Captain,” Micah said as he sat in the armchair across from him, with his mate on his lap. Casey looked for all the world as if she had no intention of ever getting up. “The sun had almost gone completely behind the horizon. Liam and I were waiting to stop her when Olwen jumped into that portal.”
Olwen frowned and sat forward slightly. She was seated close to Rohan on the couch, but he didn’t let her get too far from him. He would never let her get too far from him again. “How did you know?”
“Simple,” Liam answered from his position on the floor, sitting with his back against the chair Neve was sitting in. “We knew you would have leaped into that portal and either ended up back in the realm you believed your mate was still in, or died in the exact same place he did. We knew that because any one of us would have done the same if we were in that position.”
Rohan tugged her back against him and whispered softly. “Even though I understand the need you felt, my love, I am grateful that there were people with you that protected you when I was unable to do so, but now that I am here by your side, you will never be without my protection.”
“So, what happens now?” Ariana asked, reaching for her glass of champagne. “I kind of feel a little lost. I mean, everything we have been working toward and focusing on over the past twenty years has been around that prophecy, and now that everything is as it should be, I’m not entirely sure what we do now.”
Rohan looked around at the group, all of whom had small frowns on their faces, no doubt thinking the same thoughts. It was almost amusing to Rohan that, despite the fact he had the least amount of knowledge of this new world, and would no doubt have more questions than answers in the coming days, he was the one with the answer to Ariana’s query. “We live.”
They all turned to look at him, and after a few moments, they all smile and nodded. Nothing had ever been as simple as that. Given the uncertainty of everything that had happened leading up to this moment, one of the scariest possibilities was that one of them would not survive the prophecy, but despite the odds, they had not only survived it but had even managed to save his ass in the process.
Kingi handed him another beer, something he had tried for the first time tonight. “That is exactly right, Captain McGregor. I do not think that Aeron or Argon ever considered that they would lose in this battle, and the fact that you have all lived and found love is the best form of revenge.”
The group settled in to regale those who stayed behind with tales of what occurred in the other realm. Rohan noticed that they made it sound safer than it actually had been, and judging by the growling coming from the wolf shifters in the room, he figured that was probably a smart move.
“What do you think will happen with the Uruheim fighters?” Olwen asked gently, and he looked down at her.
She was tucked up under his shoulder, and just because he could, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “I’m sure they’ll be fine. There will be a whole lot of discussions and a shit-load of fighting, but they will come to some kind of order. If they want to guarantee their survival, they will have t
o.”
Olwen sighed and snuggled in closer. Rohan bit his lip at the feel of her pressed against him. He was fighting for control against the need to take her upstairs and fulfill the promise he had made in the Uruheim forest, to claim her on an actual mattress. They had showered as soon as they had arrived, but before he had been able to take advantage of the fact his mate was standing in their room naked, Maggie had knocked on the door to tell them the others had arrived. Manners had dictated he simply comply, even though everything within him wanted to shout for them all to go the hell away so he could be with his woman.
Olwen moved against him and placed her hand on his thigh. Rohan clenched his teeth and started counting in Latin. He had thought he was simply counting in his head, but he must have muttered the numbers out loud again. Olwen murmured his name, and when he focused on the room at large, all eyes were turned in his direction. The females all looked pleased, almost as if they approved of his need for his mate. The males all looked like they were fighting laughter. Bastards.
“Maggie,” Olwen said and the attention turned to her. “Rohan and I are going to turn in. It has been a very long day for us, and I think we need some time alone.”
Casey giggled and pointed in their direction. “We all know what you mean by alone time”—Casey bent the index and middle fingers of both hands at the same time, and it was obviously a gesture all in the room understood but him and Olwen as they all laughed—“and we couldn’t agree with you more.”
“Thank god!” Micah groaned as he stood straight up from the chair, his mate tucked firmly in his arms. “I’ve been in need of some alone time from the moment you fell through that damn portal we have all been camped beside for the past three fucking lonely nights. Good night all!”
